State Contract and Payment Actions in December

In December, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,605 contracts for state and public agencies valued at $3.7 billion and approved more than 1.7 million payments valued at nearly $17 billion. The bureau rejected 134 contracts and related transactions valued at $244 million and nearly 1,900 payments valued at nearly $39.6 million, primarily because of errors, insufficient support for fees, and improper payments. More information on these contracts and payments is available from Open Book New York.

Large orders approved

Office of Cannabis Management

• $1.2 million with Bio-Tech Medical Software Inc. for cannabis seed tracking system until sale.

Executive Chamber

• $2 million with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP for legal counsel.

Office of General Services – Design & Construction

• $2.7 million with Postler & Jaeckle Corp. for the replacement of pumps, heat exchangers, and domestic water coolers in Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller’s Empire State Plaza Corning Tower in Albany County.
• $2 million with VMJR Companies LLC for masonry repairs at Sheridan Avenue Steam Power Plant in Albany County.
• $1.2 million with Ferguson Electric Inc. to replace a backup generator at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center in Erie County.
• $1.1 million with United Paving Corp. for paving the parking lot of Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center in Suffolk County.

Information Technology Services Office

• $35.5 million with Zones LLC for IT service desk support for NYS government users and citizens.

Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation

• $5 million with Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions Inc. for infrastructure and land improvements at Lake Welch in Harriman State Park in Rockland County.
• $4.6 million with JD Northrup Construction for utility upgrades at Lake Erie State Park in Chautauqua County.

New York State Highway Authority

• $8.3 million with Union Concrete and Construction Corp. for the bridge replacement on the Beaver Island Parkway over I-90 in Erie County.
• $7.3 million with Slate Hill Constructors Inc. for the Warners Road bridge replacement over I-90 in Onondaga County.
• $4.7 million with Tioga Construction Company Inc. for North Main Street bridge replacement over I-90 in Madison County.

Ministry of Transport

• $446.7 million with El Sol / Defoe JV for Hunts Point interstate access improvement project in Bronx County.
• $9.4 million with Crane Hogan Structural Systems Inc. for bridge pier repairs at various locations in Monroe County.
• $7.4 million with Jointa Lime Co. for resurfacing I-87 in Saratoga and Warren counties.
• $5.6 million with Bothar Construction LLC for the renewal of Route 434 in Tioga County.

Larger payments approved

Tax Refunds and Credits

• $706.5 million for 32,363 income tax refunds.
• $155.2 million for 16,048 corporate and other tax refunds.
• $151.7 million for 144,187 property tax credits.
• $13.3 million for 56,026 additional tax payments for children and earned income.

Allocation of the budget

• $7.6 million in support of COVID-19 pandemic response, including $5.6 million to The Boston Consulting Group Inc. and $2 million in strategic advisory/consulting services from Accenture LLP.

Office for Children and Family Services

• $40.4 million to child care providers under the Child Care Stabilization Grant to help meet unexpected business costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to stabilize operations so providers can continue to provide care.

City University of New York

• $3.7 million in support of the COVID-19 pandemic response, including: $1.1 million to Empire Electronics Inc. for enterprise software; $562,400 for software maintenance and support, including $527,200 for Dell Marketing; $365,100 for desktop computers, including $171,200 to Riomar Group Ventures Inc.; and nearly $1.7 million to 43 vendors for various other uses such as repair and maintenance of building and property equipment, parts and peripherals, office supplies, and security guards.

Department of Civil Service

• $331.2 million to CaremarkPCS Health LLC to provide pharmacy benefits for Empire, Excelsior and Student Employee health plans.
• $24.6 million to Beacon Health Options Inc. for benefits for the Empire Plan’s mental health and substance abuse program.

State Department of Education

• $1.1 billion in general aid to 485 school districts.
• $962.7 million in supplemental aid for 647 school districts for school-age special needs students.

Empire State Development Corporation

• $75 million to Wolfspeed Inc. for a portion of the design, build, facility and equipment costs of a silicon carbide semiconductor device manufacturing facility in Marcy.
• $5 million to CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity for the Growing Entrepreneurs & Innovators in Upstate New York (GENIUS NY) program.
• $2 million to the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission for the acquisition and redevelopment of property to house the Commission’s Buffalo operations.

Office of General Services

• $8.8M for hourly IT services including: $2.2M to Knowledge Builders Inc. and $6.6M to 28 other vendors.

health department

• $10 million in support of the COVID-19 pandemic response, including: $5.6 million in local grants and public support, including $2 million to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York Inc. and $909,000 to the Catholic Charities Food Bank of the Southern Tier; $1.5 million in customer services, including $1 million for VIP StarNETWORK LLC; and more than $2.9 million to 30 vendors for various other uses such as call centers, IT equipment maintenance and support, and laboratory supplies and supplies.
• $24.7 million to Maximus Inc. for Health Benefit Exchange assistance, including insurance filing and call center operations.
• $12.4 million to New York eHealth Collaborative Inc. for New York’s Statewide Health Information Network.

Information Technology Services Office

• $5.7 million in support of COVID-19 pandemic response, including $5.4 million to Deloitte Consulting LLP for application development; and $300,000 to two vendors for other uses, including call centers and security/protection software.

work department

• $197.2 million in payments under unemployment insurance, pandemic unemployment benefits, federal pandemic unemployment benefits, and mixed-earner unemployment compensation programs.

State University of New York

• $1.8 million in support of the COVID-19 pandemic response, including: $740,400 for medical supplies and supplies, including $623,700 for bioMérieux Inc.; $420,000 to Amerisource Receivables Financial Corporation for laboratory supplies and supplies; and $640,000 to 23 vendors for various other uses such as laboratory and dental supplies and materials.

Office for Temporary and Disabled Assistance

• $47.2 million for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
• $3.1 million for the Landlord Rental Assistance Program.

Other contract payment refusals and other expense reimbursements

OSC denied more than $1.1 million in tax refunds and credits. The Comptroller’s auditors also recovered more than $503,000 from suppliers for debts to the state and withheld nearly $652,100 in payments pending the resolution of disputes between subcontractors and prime contractors.

Cumulative through December for calendar year 2022, the Comptroller’s Office approved 17,629 contracts valued at $41.1 billion and approved nearly 31.2 million payments valued at more than $171.1 billion. The bureau rejected 1,476 contracts and related transactions valued at nearly $5.9 billion and nearly 54,400 payments valued at nearly $253.4 million primarily due to errors, impropriety, or lack of documentation.

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