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

        

DiNapoli Announces State Contract & Payment Actions for December 2014

January 30, 2015

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office reviewed 2,027 contracts valued at $3.3 billion and approved nearly 1.6 million payments worth nearly $10.5 billion in December. His office also rejected 178 contracts and related transactions valued at $252 million and more than 3,000 payments valued at nearly $2.2 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties.

In total for calendar year 2014, DiNapoli's office approved approximately 21,500 contracts valued at $50.9 billion and approved nearly 22.6 million payments worth $123.1 billion. His office also rejected 2,248 contracts and related transactions valued at $8.1 billion and nearly 82,000 payments valued at $57.8 million.

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 December 2014:

Major Contracts Approved

Deferred Compensation Board
  • $6 million with Wells Capital Management Inc., $5.8 million with Income Research & Management for investment management services, and $5.8 million with JP Morgan Investment Mgmt Inc. for investment management services.
Department of Environmental Conservation
  • $12.4 million with New England Interstate Water Pollution for coordination and implementation of the Hudson River Estuary Program.
Department of Health
  • $2.2 million with Island Peer Review Organization Inc. to assist with the Ebola Screening and Quarantine Initiatives at JFK Airport.
Department of State
  • $203,000 Brownfield Opportunity Area grant to Ulster County.
Department of Transportation
  • Contracts totaling $17.7 million with Telvent USA LLC for Traffic Management Center operations in New York City and central New York.
  • $6.6 million contract with Cold Spring Construction Co. for critical bridge replacement over Tonawanda Creek, Genesee County.
Long Island Power Authority
  • $221.3 million with Royal Bank of Canada and $110.7 million with State Street Bank and Trust Co. for letter of credit facilities supporting short-term debt issued in the form of commercial paper.
  • $201 million with RBC Capital Markets LLC and $100.5 million with Citigroup Global Markets Inc. for dealer agreements related to short-term debt issued in the form of commercial paper.
  • $159 million with Entergy Nuclear Power LLC to extend contract for purchase of power from Fitzpatrick Nuclear Plant in Scriba, Oswego County, through Dec. 31, 2017.
  • $36.6 million with Keyspan Communications Corp. for noncore gas transportation service for electric generation.
  • $8 million for automated metering and smart grid technical and consulting service with Xtensible Solutions LLC, Burns McDonnell Engineering Company Inc., Interpro US Inc. and EnerVision Inc.
Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Contracts
  • $31 million for 13 Homeland Security grants including $26 million to New York City.
  • $8 million for Urban Area Security grants to Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
  • $1.9 million for Public Safety Answering Points grants to Saratoga, Cayuga, Oneida and Erie counties.
  • $582,000 for Bomb Squad Initiative grants to Westchester and Suffolk counties.
State Education Department
  • $2 million for charter schools planning and implementation grants to Finn Academy, International Charter School of New York and Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School.
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • $1.05 million contract with the Open Space Institute Land Trust Inc. for the purchase of 233 acres in Wawarsing, Ulster County.
Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
  • $31 million with Independent Support Services Inc. for the Fiscal Intermediary Self-Direction Initiative.
Office of the State Comptroller
  • $8.2 million with KPMG LLP for annual financial statement audits.
SUNY Stony Brook
  • $2 million with McKesson Technologies Inc. for a cost accounting and decision support system.
Superstorm Sandy Block Grants
  • $143.4 million grant to Long Island Power Authority from NYS Housing Trust Fund Corporation.
  • $9.7 million in grants from the Department of Health and Office of Mental Health to various downstate entities.
Thruway Authority
  • $8 million contract with Cold Spring Construction Co. for operational improvements at the Williamsville Toll Barrier.

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds
  • $130 million for 22,000 personal income tax refunds.
  • $235.9 million for 17,000 corporate and other refunds.
  • $86.2 million for 534,000 property tax freeze credits.
Department of Agriculture and Markets
  • $325,000 to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to administer the Animal Population Control Program.
Department of Environmental Conservation
  • $1.6 million to Rifenburg Construction Inc. for parking lot rehabilitation at Lake George Beach in Warren County.
Department of Transportation
  • $3 million to the city of Schenectady for reconstruction of Erie Boulevard.
Gaming Commission
  • $8.6 million to DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc. for advertising services.
  • $357,000 to Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP for gaming advisory services related to the selection of applicants to develop and operate a casino.
New York State Assembly
  • $6,000 to Roemer Wallens Gold & Mineaux LLP for outside counsel for independent investigations related to the Assembly sexual harassment/retaliation policy.
New York State Senate
  • $147,000 to Kirkland & Ellis LLP for legal services and special counsel related to the Moreland Commission.
Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
  • $426,000 to New York Botanical Garden, $235,000 to Wildlife Conservation Society, and $213,000 to Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corporation for general operating support.
State University of New York
  • $1.3 million to McTech Corp. for expanding the campus center at SUNY Albany.

Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries

The Comptroller's rejection of more than 3,000 payments valued at nearly $2.2 million included nearly 30 tax refunds valued at more than $93,000, and more than 2,700 unemployment insurance payments valued at nearly $642,000. DiNapoli's auditors also recovered nearly $138,000 from vendors owing debts to the state, and held payments of nearly $1.5 million 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 DiNapoli to promote openness in government and provide taxpayers with better access to the financial workings of government.