Article 4-C of the Economic Development Law requires publication of grant opportunities. To comply with these publication requirements, the Department of Economic Development (DED) will publish grant opportunities in the Contract Reporter. In addition, publication of grant opportunities in the State Register will also constitute “substantial compliance” with the publication requirements of Article 4-C of the Economic Development Law. As a result, any grant opportunity that is published in the Contract Reporter or State Register will be considered to have satisfied the publication requirements of Article 4-C. However, best practice encourages use of the Contract Reporter, as well as the Grants Opportunity Portal, as the frequency of publication and the larger distribution ensures that grant procurement opportunities will be distributed to the greatest number of potential applicants.

Note that while a procuring state agency satisfies the publication requirements of Article 4-C by publication in the Contract Reporter or State Register, it remains the procuring state agency's responsibility to ensure adequate competition for all competitive grants. As with any procurement, the failure of the state agency to obtain reasonable competition may cause the Office of the State Comptroller’s Bureau of Contracts to withhold approval of any resulting contract and thereby necessitate a new procurement with more extensive outreach efforts.

Guide to Financial Operations

REV. 2/29/2024