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NEWS from the Office of the New York State Comptroller
Contact: Press Office 518-474-4015

        

DiNapoli Announces State Contract and Payment Actions for August 2014

September 24, 2014

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office reviewed 1,804 contracts valued at $4.3 billion and approved 1.2 million payments totaling $8.6 billion in August. His office also rejected 190 contracts and related transactions valued at $2.9 billion and more than 1,000 payments valued at nearly $2.5 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties.

As the state’s chief financial officer, DiNapoli’s office reviews contracts for all state agencies and certain contracts for state public authorities and audits all state payments. This independent review ensures that costs are reasonable, the playing field is level and taxpayers get the best value for their money. The independent audits ensure payments are free from fraud, waste and improprieties. The Comptroller’s office averages 11 days for contract reviews and two days to audit payments. 

DiNapoli releases this monthly notice to provide current information about the number and types of contracts and payments entered into by the state. This builds on his commitment to added transparency via his Open Book New York website. 

Highlights for August 2014:

Major Contracts Approved

Office of Court Administration 
  • $251 million to New York City to perform cleaning and minor repairs in city courts. 
Department of Transportation
  • $65 million for inter-city bus service via Hudson Transit Lines ($34.7 million), Adirondack Transit Lines ($25.6 million), Chenango Valley Bus Lines ($3.3 million) and First Transit ($1.4 million).
  • $16.7 million with Tully Construction Co. Inc. to pave the Northern State Parkway in Nassau County. 
State Education Department 
  • $12.7 million with E Scholar LLC for a five-year enterprise software license agreement. 
Office of General Services 
  • $4.6 million with LI Coppola Inc. to install a natural gas line and convert boilers at Green Haven Correctional Facility.
  • $4.2 million with Globecomm Systems Inc. for satellite communications at the OGS Media Service Center at Harriman State Office Campus. 
  • $3 million with STV Architects PC for standby engineering services related to the rehabilitation of state office buildings. 
Division of Criminal Justice Services
  • $6.3 million to the Legal Aid Society for Aid to Defense for impoverished New Yorkers. 
  • $4.4 million in grants to eight municipalities including NYC ($2.7 million) for Aid to Prosecution. 
Department of Agriculture and Markets 
  • $1.6 million (estimated) for 58 State Fair revenue contracts including sponsorships and food/beverage concessions.
Department of Labor 
  • $3.7 million for 25 Occupational Safety and Health Training Grants awarded to various labor organizations. 
Office of Indigent Legal Services
  • $637,000 in grants to five upstate counties for legal services for the poor. 
Division of the Budget
  • $300,000 with Hinckley, Allen & Snyder for legal services related to the investigation of the Moreland Commission. 
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • $37,800 with National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation to extend the natural gas storage contract at Allegany State Park for up to one year. 

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds
  • $612.5 million for nearly 57,000 personal income tax refunds, and more than 25,000 corporate and other refunds worth nearly $271 million. 
Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
  • $419.4 million to New York University for Hurricane Sandy recovery and future risk mitigation.
  • $3.6 million to New York City for the State Homeland Security Program. 
Department of Civil Service
  • $168.1 million to CaremarkPCS Health LLC for pharmacy benefit services for the Empire Plan, Excelsior Plan, and Student Health Plan. 
Department of Transportation
  • $9 million to Halmar International and A. Servidone B. Anthony Construction Corp. JV for Patroon Island Bridge rehabilitation between Rensselaer and Albany. 
  • $3.3 million to Union Concrete and Construction Corp. for pavement resurfacing and minor bridge rehabilitation on Interstate 86 in Cattaraugus County.
  • $1.8 million to Luck Brothers Inc. for bridge replacement in the town of Champlain.
Gaming Commission
  • $11.8 million to DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc. for advertising services.
Department of Health
  • $10.8 million to Amerigroup New York LLC for Child Health Plus Insurance. 
State University of New York
  • $7.3 million to Sodexo Management Inc. for on-site food service at SUNY Binghamton.
  • $1.1 million to Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Lason for legal services related to Long Island College Hospital.
Department of Agriculture and Markets
  • $806,000 to the American Dairy Association for dairy promotion programs for New York milk and milk products.
  • $188,000 to New York Apple Association Inc. to promote New York state apple products.
Office of General Services
  • $725,000 to Fratello Construction Corp. to create a wet lab at the State Psychiatric Institute. 
  • $369,000 to Louis C. Allegrone Inc. to waterproof the Grand Staircase from the Empire State Plaza to the State Museum.
  • $364,000 to the Albany Convention Center Authority to fund construction of the new Albany Convention Center.
Department of Economic Development
  • $993,000 to the Research Foundation for the State University of New York for the Centers for Advanced Technology (CAT) Development program. 
Local Government Assistance
  • $616,000 to Franklin County in Tribal State Compact money from the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino.
Department of Environmental Conservation
  • $153,000 to The Nature Conservancy to administer invasive plant and species partnerships. 
New York State Assembly
  • $121,000 to Hogan Lovells US LLP for legal services in pending sexual harassment litigation.
Executive Chamber
  • $8,000 to Genova Burns Giantomasi Webster LLC for legal services related to the state Board of Elections’ implementation of public campaign financing.

Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries

The Comptroller’s rejection of more than 1,000 payments valued at $2.5 million included nearly 280 tax refunds valued at more than $545,000. DiNapoli’s auditors also recovered nearly $137,000 from vendors owing debts to the state, and held more than $713,000 pending resolution of disputes between subcontractors and prime contractors. 

Open Book New York

For access to billions of dollars in state and local government spending and nearly 50,000 state contracts, visit http://www.openbooknewyork.com/. The easy-to-use website was created by Comptroller DiNapoli to promote openness in government and provide taxpayers with better access to the financial workings of government.