The commissioner shall award the contract or reject the bids therefor within 30 working days after the bids are received, except that this time limit may be extended by mutual agreement, and all proposal bonds which have been delivered with the bids, except those of the two lowest responsible bidders, shall be returned within 3 working days after such bids are received. Any and all bids may be rejected when the commissioner determines that it is in the public interest to do so.
N.J.S. § 27:7-33