Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Ensuring timely access to essential personnel, supplies, and systems is a key part of New Jersey’s ability to respond effectively to public health emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed gaps in workforce capacity, supply chain flexibility, and interagency coordination, prompting the State to rethink how critical resources are managed and deployed. New Jersey has steadily made meaningful progress in building a more agile and resilient infrastructure. The State remains committed to reinforcing these efforts so that agencies are equipped with the people, tools, and supplies they need to act quickly and confidently in future emergencies.

Maintaining Stockpiles of Critical Emergency Supplies

• New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) maintains the Strategic State Stockpile that includes personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, gowns, gloves, and syringes; therapeutics; vaccines; and other medications.
• The State’s medical countermeasures warehouse now includes ultralow temperature (ULT), freezer, refrigerated, and ambient storage capacity. 
• To bring resources closer to communities, the State has started to implement some devolved stockpiles. For example, with the intention to minimize disruptions to patient access to reproductive health care, NJDOH has worked closely with direct care partners to establish a stockpile of mifepristone and related supplies. Against potential federal threats, the State aims to leverage to the extent possible the usual channels for obtaining, storing, and dispensing these medications.

Facilitating Rapid Procurement Channels

• The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) established a Disaster Reservist Program, creating a pool of trained personnel available to support emergency response and recovery operations as needed.
• The Department of Treasury’s Division of Purchase and Property (DPP) is the State’s central procurement authority and has been increasingly involved in emergency response planning alongside the Governor’s Office, NJOEM, and NJDOH. DPP continues to advise agencies to consult with them early and often to ensure procurement priorities are integrated into emergency planning.
• DPP significantly streamlined its emergency waiver process. Agencies may begin work with a vendor before final approvals are in place if a public exigency is demonstrated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most waiver requests were reviewed and activated the same day.
• DPP proactively expanded and maintained a robust set of essential, disaster-related contracts that are publicly accessible through the NJSTART eProcurement system. These contracts are available to state agencies and cooperative purchasing partners, enabling faster procurement during emergencies.
• To expand agency capacity, DPP supports increasing procurement staff levels across both central and agency teams. 
• The State’s Delegated Purchasing Authority (DPA) threshold has been increased, with DPP retaining the discretion to raise this limit further in emergency situations.
• Strategies to hire quickly on standby include accelerated hiring procedures for non-competitive positions through group interviews and near-immediate conditional offers.

Upskilling Agency Personnel on Accelerating Resource Requests

• To improve agency capacity and streamline operations, DPP is reviewing and updating all training materials, circulars, and instructional content for greater ease of use and to ensure agency procurement staff are better prepared to navigate emergency and non-emergency procurement processes.
• DPP offers annual training sessions on Delegated Purchasing Authority, State Contract Manager responsibilities, and Waivers of Advertising. Ongoing education is supported through the NJSTART eProcurement platform, which includes training videos, quick reference guides, and an updated contact distribution list to keep agency staff informed.
• To support agency buyers, DPP tripled its NJSTART support staff and continues to offer ongoing training, including annual refreshers and planned emergency procurement roundtables.

Institutionalizing Hybrid Work Policies

• In April 2022, the New Jersey Civil Service Commission (CSC) launched the Model Telework Pilot Program, permitting eligible State Executive Branch employees to work remotely up to two days per week, contingent on operational needs. The program mandates an application process, completion of telework training for both employees and managers, and requires departments to consult with relevant unions when developing telework plans. Due to positive feedback regarding increased productivity and employee morale, the CSC extended the pilot program through June 30, 2024 to facilitate the formal rulemaking process.
• In April 2025, the CSC proposed a new rule (N.J.A.C. 4A:6-7) to sustain the telework program. This includes provisions for telework eligibility, performance evaluations, data privacy, and the establishment of alternative workweek and flextime programs.
• This builds upon other flexibilities. For example, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOLWD) implemented an Alternate Workweek Program, allowing for varied arrival and departure times to accommodate employee needs and operational requirements.

Strengthening the Health and Resiliency of the State Workforce

• The Civil Service Commission’s Employee Advisory Service (EAS) provides ongoing support to State employees through individual and group sessions, webinars, newsletters, and online resources. Specialized materials on topics such as workplace well-being are regularly disseminated across agencies.
• Protocols remain at the ready to safeguard the state workforce against significant communicable disease concerns that could emerge in the workplace. 
• Agency-level wellness initiatives have also been initiated post-pandemic. For example, NJOEM continues to integrate wellness resources into its operations, including the Employee Assistance Program, Peer Assistant Outreach, and broader investments in staff mental health and resiliency.

• Continuing to refine and right-size the State Strategic Stockpile to ensure it contains high-demand, mission-critical items while avoiding the storage of low-utility goods.
• Enhancing data systems to support real-time inventory management and ensure efficient use and replenishment of supplies.
• Expanding annual agency training on emergency waiver procedures.
• Enhancing NJSTART support infrastructure to ensure rapid technical assistance and buyer support during high-volume procurement periods.
• Rolling out the final telework policy.