When you think of New Jersey Transit (NJT) employees, train conductors, bus drivers, and ticket agents might come to mind. While each of these roles might be quite different, one common theme is that all of these types of employees wear uniforms with the statewide transportation agency’s name and logo on them. However, next year, some of the newest NJT contracted staffers might be harder to spot, since the agency is now looking to hire a firm to provide undercover investigative services.
NJT is accepting electronic bids from companies that are willing to provide such services as part of the “Service Quality Program.” While it is not clear what specific actions these undercover investigators are expected to take, a legal notice mentioned that their work will include “conducting undercover investigative and service quality operations.” These operations would range from protecting the agency’s revenues and watching the performance of its staffers to looking into service conditions.
Firms that would end up providing these kinds of services for NJT would need to be pre-qualified by the agency and submit an initial proposal by December 11. Final proposals from companies that are given the necessary pre-qualification would have until February to submit a bid, though NJT’s procurement calendar mentions that fees are being charged both to download the bidding documents and to place bids.
This is not the first time that NJT has looked to hire undercover investigators. Back in 2011, the agency awarded a contract worth over $900,000 to Union Township-based Summit Security Services, Inc. for what was simply described as “undercover investigation services.” On NJT’s website, it is mentioned that the agency conducts “random undercover quality checks” in order to watch the behavior of their employees and “correct deficiencies.”
