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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 February 2015

March 27, 2015

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office approved 1,786 contracts valued at $2.1 billion and approved more than 2.5 million payments worth more than $8.8 billion in February. His office also rejected 204 contracts and related transactions valued at $1.1 billion and more than 4,000 payments valued at nearly $8.2 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 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.

Significant Transactions for February 2015:

Major Contracts Approved

Department of Agriculture and Markets
  • $11.7 million for 40 nonpoint source pollution abatement grants to help farmers prevent water pollution from agricultural activities.
Community Dispute Resolution Center of the NYS Office of Court Administration
  • $137 million for contracts including:
    • $65.6 million to the Children’s Law Center New York
    • $38.4 million to Lawyers for Children
    • $12.4 million to Legal Aid Society of Rochester
New York State Council on the Arts
  • $3.75 million cultural services grant to New York Foundation for the Arts.
Department of Environmental Conservation
  • $10 million with the Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation District for the Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance.
Department of Health
  • $13 million contract between Helen Hayes Hospital and Comprehensive Pharmacy Inc. for a pharmacy dispensing system.
  • $1.5 million for 29 AIDS-related grants statewide.
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • $28.8 million with Weeks Marine Inc. for bulkhead and esplanade reconstruction at Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx.
Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
  • $33.8 million to 29 grantees for the Solution to End Homelessness Program.
New York State Thruway Authority
  • $16 million with Atlas Painting and Sheeting Corp. to paint and repair deteriorated steel members on Castleton Bridge.
  • $11.2 million with Cold Spring Construction Co. for removal and construction of Interchange 36 Bridge in Syracuse.
  • $9.5 million with Callanan Industries Inc. for pavement rehabilitation, drainage and safety improvements on I-90 in Albany, Schenectady, and Montgomery counties.
  • $4.9 million with Sealand Contractors Corp. for replacement of South Newstead Rd. Bridge over the Thruway in Buffalo.
  • $550,000 with Westchester County Department of Public Safety for marine patrol services at the Tappan Zee Bridge construction site.
Department of Transportation
  • $55 million with Ecco III Enterprises Inc. for rehab of three bridges on Long Island Expressway/Grand Central Parkway Interchange in New York City.
  • $27.2 million with H & L Contracting LLC "to address bridge scour in Hempstead and Islip.
  • $24 million with El Sol Contracting - ES II Enterprises JV for bridge corrective repairs and preventative maintenance at various locations in Kings, Queens and Richmond counties.
  • $15.6 million with Kubricky Construction Corp for asphalt concrete reconstruction of state Routes 3 and 30 in Tupper Lake.
  • $12.3 million with Halmar International LLC for rehabilitation of Route 9W over Popolopen Creek in the town of Highlands, Orange County.
  • $12 million with Economy Paving Co., Inc. for bridge rehabilitation on I-86 in Chemung County.

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds
  • $1 billion for 1.2 million personal income tax refunds.
  • $116.8 million for 19,000 corporate and other refunds.
  • $44 million for 325,000 property tax freeze credits.
Department of Agriculture & Markets
  • $806,000 to the American Dairy Association for New York milk and milk products promotion.
Office of Children and Family Services
  • $650,000 to Orphan Foundation of America for the Educational Training Voucher Program to help youth aging out of foster care to transition to self-sufficiency.
Department of Education
  • $1.3 million to Public Consulting Group Inc. to develop Common Core learning standards.
  • $31,000 to Deaf Access Services Inc. for sign language interpreter services.
Department of Health
  • $5 million to United Health Care of New York Inc. for the Child Health Plus insurance plan.
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
  • $645,000 to New York City for the Emergency Management Performance Grants Program.
Department of Labor
  • $15,000 to Chinese-American Planning Council Inc. for the Workforce Development Program.
New York State Legislature - Assembly
  • $545,000 to various recipients to settle the sexual harassment lawsuit against former Assemblyman Vito Lopez.
  • $13,000 to Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP for outside counsel for the appeals process in the matter of Assemblyman Micah Kellner.
New York State Legislature - Senate
  • $435,000 to Kirkland & Ellis LLP for legal services and special counsel related to the Moreland Commission.
Division of State Police
  • $120,000 to Sterling Helicopter for aviation parts and repairs.
Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance 
  • $35 million in federal Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) benefits to assist more than 69,000 New Yorkers with home heating or heat-related emergencies.
Department of Transportation
  • $1.6 million to Morton Salt Inc. for road salt.
  • $485,000 to CSX Transportation Inc. for double-track railroad construction from Ravena to Coxsackie.

Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries

The Comptroller’s rejection of more than 4,000 payments valued at nearly $8.2 million included more than 2,000 tax refunds valued at more than $4 million. DiNapoli’s auditors also recovered more than $83,000 from vendors owing debts to the state, and held payments of more than $877,000 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 Open Book New York, 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.