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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 November

December 30, 2016

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office approved 1,506 contracts valued at $2.27 billion and approved more than 2.9 million payments worth nearly $9.9 billion in November. His office also rejected 173 contracts and related transactions valued at $611 million and nearly 1,300 payments valued at more than $3.6 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties.

Cumulatively through November for calendar year 2016, DiNapoli’s office has approved 17,541 contracts valued at $ 40.4 billion and approved nearly 28.8 million payments worth more than $119.2 billion. His office has also rejected 1,999 contracts and related transactions valued at $9.5 billion and nearly 36,000 payments valued at nearly $76 million for a variety of reasons.

As the state’s chief financial officer, DiNapoli’s office reviews contracts for all state agencies and certain 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. Independent audits also help ensure payments are free from fraud, waste and improprieties. The Comptroller’s office averaged 11 days for contract reviews and two days to audit payments in November.

Recently, DiNapoli released a comprehensive package of procurement reforms to increase independent oversight of contracts, prohibit the state from using state-affiliated not-for-profits to do state business, make procurement requirements uniform, and toughen ethics and transparency rules for those involved in state contracting.

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

Highlights for November 2016:

Major Contracts Approved

Department of Agriculture and Markets
  • $2.5 million grant to Cornell University for Future Farmers of America program.
  • $891,000 grant to the Wyoming County Soil and Water Conservation District for nonpoint source pollution abatement.
Department of Corrections and NYS Correctional Industries
  • $21.1 million for six contracts for prison commissary sales, including $5.5 million with Mountain Candy & Cigar Company, Inc. and $5.5 million with North Shore Bottling, Inc.
  • $5.6 million with Ryder Truck Rental, Inc. for truck leases and preventative maintenance services for Correctional Industries (Corcraft).
Executive Chamber
  • $950,000 with Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello, PC for legal services related to the U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation into the Buffalo Billion project and SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
Office of General Services
  • $156.6 million with Prismatic Development Corporation for major building renovations for the Manhattan Forensic Relocation, Manhattan Psychiatric Center.
  • $46.4 million to abate hazardous materials and renovate Building 4 at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus in Albany, including $31.5 million with Murnane Building Contractors.
  • $2.4 million with Aktor Corporation for asbestos abatement work at various state buildings in Albany.
Department of Health
  • $228.2 million for three contracts for Medicaid Advantage Plus –Managed Long Term Care for Medicaid/Medicare Dual Eligibles including a $196.6 million contract with Guildnet, Inc.
  • $39.6 million for surveillance and investigation activities at various health facilities, including two contracts totaling $29.7 million with Island Peer Review Organization Inc. and one contract for $9.9 million with New York County Health Services Review Organization.
  • $12.1 million for 14 Alzheimer’s disease-related grants including $2.2 million each to New York University, Montefiore Health Systems, Inc., and Columbia University.
Office of Medicaid Inspector General
  • $8.4 million lease with 90 Church Street Limited Partnership for space at 90 Church Street in New York City.
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • $7.3 million revenue contract with Jones Beach Adventure Excursions LLC to provide an outdoor recreation concession at Jones Beach State Park.
  • $6.5 million with Economy Paving Company, Inc. to resurface the lower entrance to Watkins Glen State Park.
  • $3.6 million to the Open Space Institute Land Trust, Inc. to purchase land for Harriman State Park in the town of Tuxedo.
Public Service Commission
  • $20.5 million lease with 90 Church Street Limited Partnership for space at 90 Church Street, New York City.
SUNY Stony Brook
  • $7.5 million with the National Marrow Donor Program for hematopoietic stem cells used for bone marrow transplant programs.
New York State Thruway Authority
  • $8.5 million with Oakgrove Construction, Inc. to rehabilitate the North Grand Island Bridge in Erie and Niagara counties.
Department of Transportation
  • $11.5 million with Bove Industries, Inc. for emergency standby highway and bridge repairs in New York City.
  • $14.1 million for bridge repair, replacement or painting in Chemung County (Ramsey Constructors, Inc., $5.3 million); Suffolk County (H&L Contracting LLC, $5.1 million); and Erie County (Amstar of Western New York, Inc., 3.7 million).
  • $8.1 million for variable computerized message signs, including $6.3 million with Signalisation Vermac, Inc., $1.1 million with Actus Manufacturing, Inc. and $718,000 with Solar Technology.
  • $6.2 million with Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc. for 24 hour standby readiness for emergency repairs in the Hudson Valley.
  • $7 million with Constar, Inc. for emergency standby snow and ice removal in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds
  • $533.2 million for 72,000 personal income tax refunds.
  • $220.1 million for 22,000 corporate and other refunds.
  • $205.8 million for 917,000 property tax freeze credits.
Dormitory Authority of the State of New York
  • $4.6 million to St. George Outlet Development to construct the St. George Terminal in Staten Island.
  • $1.1 million to Visual Arts Research and Resource Center Relating to the Caribbean, Inc. to renovate a landmark firehouse at 120 East 125th Street in New York City.
Empire State Development Corporation
  • $28 million to Economic Development Growth Enterprises for site and infrastructure improvements at the Marcy Nanocenter in Utica.
  • $17 million to American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics) and its consortium of partners for the purchase and installation of specialized instruments, tooling and equipment to support AIM Photonics operations. 
  • $2 million to Edison Welding Institute Inc. to operate the Buffalo-Niagara Institute for Advanced Manufacturing Competitiveness.
  • $567,000 to the city of Niagara Falls to renovate a former junior high school into Niagara City Lofts.
Gaming Commission
  • $5.7 million to nine local governments for tribal compact payments.
  • $1.9 million to McCann Erickson USA Inc. for media planning and buying services for traditional New York State Lottery products.
Office of General Services
  • $11.7 million for hourly-based IT services, including $3.9 million to IIT Inc., $1.8 million to NTT Data Inc., and $1.4 million to MVP Consulting Plus Inc.
  • $4.8 million to the Albany Convention Center Authority for the Albany Capital Center Project.
  • $707,000 to New Style Contractors Inc. for windows and skylights for the State Armory in Jamaica, Queens.
  • $646,000 to AOW Associates Inc. for visitor building construction and site improvements at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center.
  • $394,000 to CHA Consulting Inc. for dam inspection and engineering services statewide. 
Department of Health
  • $33.4 million to Maximus Inc. and $4.9 million to Computer Sciences Corporation for assistance with the state’s Health Benefit Exchange.
  • $164,000 to OPAD Media Solutions LLC for the tobacco control and Zika virus public awareness campaigns.
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
  • $741,000 to OPAD Media Solutions LLC for the See Something, Send Something campaign.
New York State Legislature –Assembly
  • $14,000 to Roemer Wallens Gold & Mineaux LLP for outside counsel for independent investigations of alleged sexual harassment.
New York State Legislature –Senate
  • $113,000 to Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP for counsel to the task force on demographic research and reapportionment.
  • $35,000 to Kraus & Zuchlewski LLP to provide confidential legal advice and counsel related to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission matter.
  • $21,000 to Kraus & Zuchlewski LLP for outside counsel to investigate claims of sexual harassment.
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • $1.2 million to Weeks Marine Inc. for bulkhead and esplanade reconstruction at Roberto Clemente State Park.
  • $878,000 to Maid of the Mist Corp. for ticket concessions.
  • $418,000 to Scott Lawn Yard Inc. to reconstruct the seawall and revetments at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
State University Construction Fund
  • $15.8 million to LP Ciminelli Inc. to construct and renovate the University of Buffalo’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
State University of New York
  • $5.8 million to the SUNY Research Foundation to provide child welfare & protective services training.
  • $2.1 million to Welliver McGuire to expand and rehabilitate the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.
Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
  • $66.6 million in federal Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) benefits to assist 142,000 low-income New Yorkers with home heating or heat-related emergencies.
Department of Transportation
  • $16.3 million to Skanska-Kiewit-Ecco III JV to replace the Kosciuszko Bridge in New York City.
  • $5.4 million to the National Railroad Passenger Corp. to construct the high speed double track line from Albany to Schenectady.
  • $3 million to Skanska Koch Inc. to rehabilitate the Gowanus Expressway in New York City.
  • $928,000 to CHA Consulting Inc. for services including $828,000 for high speed rail design for the double track line from Albany to Schenectady.  
  • $667,000 to Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. for Kosciuszko Bridge design services in NYC. 

Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries

The Comptroller’s rejection of nearly 1,300 payments valued at more than $3.6 million included 95 tax refunds valued at nearly $304,000. DiNapoli’s auditors also recovered more than$49,000 from vendors owing debts to the state, and held payments of more than $205,000 pending resolution of disputes between subcontractors and prime contractors.

For access to state and local government spending, public authority financial data and information on 50,000 state contracts, visit Open Book New York. The easy-to-use website was created to promote transparency in government and provide taxpayers with better access to financial data.