All contracts for the provision or performance of goods or services shall be awarded for a period not to exceed 24 consecutive months, except that contracts for professional services pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection a. of N.J.S. 18A:18A-5 shall be awarded for a period not to exceed 12 consecutive months. Any board of education may award a contract for longer periods of time as follows:
Any contract for services other than professional services, the statutory length of which contract is for three years or less, may include provisions for no more than one two-year, or two one-year, extensions, subject to the following limitations:
All multiyear leases and contracts entered into pursuant to this section, including any two-year or one-year extensions, except contracts for insurance coverages, insurance consultant or administrative services, participation or membership in a joint self-insurance fund, risk management programs or related services of a school board insurance group, participation in an insurance fund established by a county pursuant to N.J.S. 40A:10-6 or contracts for thermal energy authorized pursuant to subsection a. above, and contracts for the provision or performance of goods or services to promote energy conservation through the production of class I renewable energy, authorized pursuant to subsection o. of this section, shall contain a clause making them subject to the availability and appropriation annually of sufficient funds as may be required to meet the extended obligation, or contain an annual cancellation clause. All contracts shall cease to have effect at the end of the contracted period and shall not be extended by any mechanism or provision, unless in conformance with the "Public School Contracts Law,"N.J.S. 18A:18A-1 et seq., except that a contract may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties to the contract when a board of education has commenced rebidding prior to the time the contract expires or when the awarding of a contract is pending at the time the contract expires.
N.J.S. § 18A:18A-42