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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 June 2014

July 16, 2014

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office reviewed 2,067 contracts valued at $2.3 billion and approved more than 840,600 payments worth nearly $10.8 billion in June. His office also rejected 224 contracts and related transactions valued at $320.7 million and more than 1,400 payments valued at nearly $4.1 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 Comptroller’s office averages 11 to 13 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 June 2014:

Major Contracts Approved

Governor’s Office of Employee Relations
  • $70 million contract with United University Professions Benefit Fund to support benefits negotiated under a collective bargaining agreement with the state.
Office of General Services
  • $62.9 million contract with the Albany Convention Center Authority to fund construction of the new Albany Convention Center pursuant to the 2014-15 state budget.
  • $9.4 million contract with Yankee Trails Inc. for shuttle bus services for state employees in Albany.
Thruway Authority
  • $29 million contract with Kapsch Trafficom IVHS Inc. to implement all-electronic tolls at four travel plazas, including the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge.
  • $16.2 million contract with Tilcon New York Inc. for Rockland County pavement.
SUNY Stonybrook
  • $20.2 million contract with Worldwide Insurance Services LLC for  international student health insurance.
State Education Department
  • $12.8 million contract with the Akron Central School District to pay for Native American tuition.
Department of Agriculture & Markets - New York State Fair
  • $10.7 million revenue contract with WG Wade Shows for midway services for up to 10 years.
Gaming Commission
  • $5.2 million contract with SUNY Morrisville Auxiliary Corp. for equine testing services.
Department of Transportation
  • Approved a $17.9 million contract with Ammann & Whitney Consulting Engineers for construction inspection services for the Major Deegan Expressway bridge rehabilitation in the Bronx.
  • Approved a $12.8 design/build contract with El Sol Contracting & Construction Group to construct the new Carlls Straight Path Bridge in Huntington, Suffolk County.

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds
  • Paid 110,000 personal income tax refunds valued at more than $137 million, and nearly 33,000 corporate and other refunds worth $107 million.
Local Government Assistance
  • $359.2 million to 12 cities for the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) Program.
  • $2.4 million to the city of Salamanca and $596,000 to Cattaraugus County for payment of Tribal State Compact moneys associated with revenues from the Seneca Allegany Casino.
Department of Transportation
  • $21.4 million to Skanska-Kiewit-Ecco III JV, to replace the Kosciuszko Bridge in New York City.
  • $3.1 million to Sealand Contractors Corp. to reconstruct Routes 5, 8, and 12 in Utica.
  • $577,000 to Rifenburg Construction to upgrade Whiteface Mountain Veteran’s Memorial Highway.
New York State Assembly
  • $73,000 to Rossein Associates for outside counsel related to sexual harassment policy development and investigations.
New York State Senate
  • $122,000 to Code and Theory LLC for website development.
Office of General Services
  • $975,000 to Murnane Building Contractors and $458,000 to DiGesare Mechanical Inc. to renovate Building 5 at the Harriman State Office Campus.
  • $253,000 to Otis Elevator Company to upgrade the Corning Tower elevators.
State Education Department
  • $96,000 to CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC to develop paper and computer-based high school equivalency exams to replace the GED.

Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries

The Comptroller rejected more than 1,400 payments valued at nearly $4 million including 770 tax refunds for more than $1.6 million. DiNapoli’s auditors also recovered $192,000 from vendors owing debts to the state, and held $502,000 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.