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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 September 2016

October 24, 2016

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office approved 1,685 contracts valued at $2.75 billion and approved nearly 1.7 million payments worth more than $12 billion in September. His office also rejected 162 contracts and related transactions valued at $330 million and nearly 1,400 payments valued at nearly $4.2 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties.

Cumulatively through September for calendar year 2016, DiNapoli’s office has approved 14,683 contracts valued at $37.16 billion and approved nearly 23.9 million payments worth more than $101.4 billion. His office has also rejected 1,681 contracts and related transactions valued at $8.51 billion and more than 33,000 payments valued at more than $70.4 million.

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. These independent audits also help ensure payments are free from fraud, waste and improprieties. 

The Comptroller’s office averaged 10 days for contract reviews in September and two days to audit payments.

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

Highlights for September 2016:

Legislative Travel and Per Diem Expenses 

Legislative travel and per diem expenses for calendar years 2013 through the third quarter of 2016, are posted in the Comptroller's reading room. This information is updated quarterly.

Major Contracts Approved

New York State Assembly
  • $760,000 lease with 1310-1312 Flatbush Avenue, LLC for office space.
  • $90,000 with International Roll Call Corp. for maintenance of the Assembly electronic voting system.
Office of Children and Family Services
  • $37 million lease with Capital View Office Park for 52 Washington Avenue, Rensselaer.
Gaming Commission
  • $13.4 million with Morrisville Auxiliary Corporation at Morrisville State College for equine drug testing.
  • $1.4 million with KPMG, LLP to observe lottery drawings and certify ball weight.
Office of General Services
  • $28.4 million with New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc. for janitorial services at Empire State Plaza and other Albany facilities.
  • $10 million to Oneida County for purchase of Oneida County Airport for use as a state Department of Homeland Security Preparedness Training Center.
  • $6.5 million with Core Facility Services, LLC to provide facility management for the Shirley A. Chisholm State Office Building in Brooklyn.
Department of Health
  • $1.2 billion for four Medicaid Advantage Plus Managed Long Term Care providers for Dual Medicare/Medicaid Eligible individuals: $885 million with Healthfirst Health Plan Inc.; $275 million with Elderplan Inc.; $36 million with NYS Catholic Health Plan Inc.; and $25 million to VNS Choice. 
  • $8.5 million grant to the United Federation of Teachers for support of health insurance for eligible child care providers.
  • $7 million grant to the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association.
  • $3.6 million with KPMG, LLP for hospital audits.
  • $1.8 million grant to Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Inc. for Empire State Stem Cell pre- and post-doctorate fellows.
  • $1.8 million grant to the Research Foundation for the State University of New York for Empire State Stem Cell pre- and post-doctorate fellows.
  • $515,000 grant to Onondaga County Water Authority for drinking water fluoridation.
Office of Mental Health
  • $13.8 million grant to Concern for Independent Living, Inc. for construction of a residential facility for homeless veterans in Coney Island.
  • $3.3 million with New York University School of Medicine for child and adolescent tele-psychiatry services.
  • $2.5 million with Rutgers University in New Jersey for technical assistance, Center for Recovery Centers and Peer Workforce Support.
  • $2 million grant to the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health for a downstate non-residential mental health program.
  • $468,000 grant to Urban Pathways, Inc. for SRO housing. 
Division of State Police
  • $632,000 with VCA Animal Hospitals, Inc. for veterinary and boarding services.

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds
  • $203.1 million for 79,000 personal income tax refunds.
  • $47.4 million for 13,000 corporate and other refunds.
Department of Agriculture and Markets
  • $575,000 to New York Apple Association to promote state apples and apple products. 
Council on the Arts
  • $48,000 to the American Dance Asylum to support the NYS Dance Force program. 
Department of Economic Development
  • $4.5 million to the Research Foundation for SUNY for research at the Focus Center including new materials, processes and systems related to novel electrical interconnects. 
Education Department
  • $3.3 million to the Consortium for Worker Education for work force education services. 
Board of Elections
  • $169,000 to SCYTL USA LLC to provide software maintenance and training to comply with the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act. 
Empire State Development Corporation 
  • $21 million for Fort Schuyler Management Corporation for real property, facility and infrastructure build-out, and the purchase and installation of specialized manufacturing equipment at SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Central New York Hub for Emerging Industries in Dewitt, N.Y. 
  • $500,000 to Economic Development Growth Enterprise for construction of a service access roadway to Marcy Nanocenter at SUNYIT.
Department of Environmental Conservation
  • $1.8 million to DASNY for the design and construction of the Hashamomuck waterway access in Suffolk County. 
Office of Children and Family Services
  • $172,000 to Welfare Research Inc. for adoption services. 
Office of General Services
  • $9.4 million for hourly-based IT services, including $2.7 million to PSI International Inc., $2.1 million to IIT Inc., and $1.5 million to MVP Consulting Plus Inc. 
  • $4.5 million to Albany Convention Center Authority for the Albany Capital Center Project. 
  • $904,000 to Welliver McGuire Inc. to rehabilitate the front entrance at the State Fair in Syracuse. 
  • $278,000 to CHA Consulting Inc. for consulting services, including $68,000 for environmental engineering services statewide. 
Department of Health
  • $2.7 million to Computer Science Corporation and $2.3 million to Maximus Inc. for assistance with the state’s Health Benefit Exchange. 
  • $431,000 to OPAD Media Solutions LLC for the Zika Virus Public Awareness Campaign. 
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
  • $7 million to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the Urban Area Security Initiative. 
New York State Legislature – Assembly
  • $23,000 to Roemer Wallens Gold & Mineaux LLP for outside counsel for independent investigations of sexual harassment. 
  • $19,000 to Rossein Associates for outside counsel related to sexual harassment policy development and investigations. 
New York State Legislature – Senate
  • $82,000 to Kraus & Zuchlewski LLP for a settlement related to an employment matter. 
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • $401,000 to Mr. Dirt Inc. for trail work from Taughannock Falls to Cass Park in Ithaca. 
  • $251,000 to D&B Engineers and Architects PC for environmental remediation services at the Kings Park Psychiatric Center. 
  • $230,000 to CHA Consulting Inc. for engineering services for various State Park regions. 
Division of State Police
  • $1.6 million to Van Bortel Ford Inc. for 39 police vehicles. 
State University Construction Fund
  • $246,000 to The Pike Co. for construction at SUNY Fredonia’s Science and Technology building. 
  • $32,000 to LeChase Construction Services LLC to construct the School of Pharmacy at Binghamton University. 
State University of New York
  • $1.3 million to Welliver McGuire to expand and rehabilitate the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. 
Department of Transportation
  • $1.8 million to The Pike Co. for design and build services at the Rochester Amtrak Train Station. 
  • $897,000 to OPAD Media for the Pedestrian Safety Campaign. 
  • $727,000 to The Pike Co. to renovate the bridge over Brown’s Raceway and Genesee River in the City of Rochester. 

Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries 

The Comptroller’s rejection of nearly 1,400 payments valued at nearly $4.2 million included 142 tax refunds valued at more than $384,000. DiNapoli’s auditors also recovered nearly $151,000 from vendors owing debts to the state, and held payments of more than $177,000 pending resolution of disputes between subcontractors and prime contractors.

For access to state and local government spending and more than 50,000 state contracts, visit www.openbooknewyork.com. The easy-to-use website was created by DiNapoli to promote openness in government and provide taxpayers with better access to the financial workings of government.

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office approved 1,352 contracts valued at $950 million and approved nearly 2 million payments worth nearly $8 billion in October. His office also rejected 145 contracts and related transactions valued at $390 million and nearly 1,100 payments valued at more than $1.9 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties.

Cumulatively through October for calendar year 2016, DiNapoli’s office has approved 16,035 contracts valued at more than $38 billion and approved nearly 25.9 million payments worth nearly $109.4 billion. His office has also rejected 1,826 contracts and related transactions valued at $8.9 billion and more than 34,000 payments valued at nearly $72.4 million.

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. These independent audits also help ensure payments are free from fraud, waste and improprieties. The Comptroller’s office averaged 10 days for contract reviews in October and two days to audit payments.

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

Highlights for October 2016:

Major Contracts Approved

New York State Assembly
  • $150,000 to extend the contract with Rossein Associates for independent investigations of sexual harassment claims.
  • $57,000 lease with 1010 Suffolk Avenue Corp. for 1010 Suffolk Ave., Brentwood, Suffolk County.
Department of Environmental Conservation – Oil Spill Fund
  • $167 million for 10 standby investigation and remediation contracts including $40 million to Long Island Environmental Assessment Inc. and $30 million to Groundwater and Environmental Services.
Department of Financial Services 
  • $900,000 with Deloitte Consulting LLP for paid family leave actuarial services.
  • $300,000 with New York State Industries for the Disabled for temporary office services.
Department of Health
  • $77.1 million for five Essential Healthcare Provider Transformation grants including $21.5 million to the Aurelia Osborn Fox Memorial Hospital Society and $20 million to Wyoming County Community Hospital to facilitate consolidation of services.
  • $8.2 million with Island Peer Review Organization, Inc. for program performance monitoring and quality improvement in maternal and child health programs.
  • $2.1 million to Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency for the regional Population Health Improvement Program.
  • $1.4 million for lead poisoning prevention grants, including $1.1 million to Oneida County and $333,000 to Schenectady County.
Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
  • $4.5 million for security grants to 60 New York not for profits to assist with anti-terrorism projects.
  • $3.8 million to American Red Cross for emergency response preparedness.
  • $1.8 million with Northeastern Industrial Park, Inc. for lease of space.
Office of the State Comptroller
  • $250,000 with Law Office of Meredith H. Savitt PC for outside counsel for litigation.
  • $200,000 with IIT, Inc. for senior IT architect consulting services for the Unclaimed Funds Online Claiming System.
  • $146,000 with American Technical Services Inc. for a system analyst for the Public Authorities Reporting Information System conversion.
State Insurance Fund
  • $25.6 million with Gilbert International Inc. for building maintenance and management services.
  • $3 million with Towers Watson Delaware Inc. for actuarial consulting services.
New York State Senate
  • $1.3 million with Key Government Finance to purchase computer equipment.
  • $500,000 with Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP for counsel to the Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment.
  • $121,000 for two contracts with Kraus & Zuchlewski LLP for legal counsel related to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission matters and investigation of sexual harassment claims.
Office of Mental Health
  • $1.7 million to CR Fletcher Temps for temporary staffing services at Hutchings Psychiatric Center.
  • $281,000 to Independent Living, Inc. and $123,000 to Rockland Independent Living Center Inc. for peer support services at Rockland Psychiatric Center.
Office for People with Developmental Disabilities 
  • $1.4 million for hospital sitter services at Central NY DDSO, including $336,000 to Total Healthcare Staffing of LI Inc. and $282,000 to All Metro Health Care.
Thruway Authority
  • $65 million increase to the Tappan Zee Constructors LLC contract for the New NY Bridge including dispute resolution, increased efficiencies and winter work.

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds
  • $676.7 million for 168,000 personal income tax refunds.
  • $63 million for 165,000 property tax freeze credits.
  • $50.9 million for 16,000 corporate and other refunds.
Empire State Development Corporation
  • $1.6 million to the Olympic Regional Development Authority for maintenance of Olympic facilities.
  • $919,000 to the Genesee County Economic Development Center for the Western NY Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) project.
  • $893,000 to the Buffalo Bills Inc. for game day expenses at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
  • $695,000 to the city of Glen Cove to construct a new ferry terminal building at Glen Cove Creek in Nassau County.
  • $601,000 to the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation for the acquisition of under-used vacant properties, including environmental assessment and engineering costs.
Office of General Services
  • $11.5 million for hourly-based IT services, including $3.1 million to Knowledge Builders Inc., $2.5 million to PSI International Inc., and $1.4 million to MVP Consulting Plus Inc.
  • $4.5 million to the Albany Convention Center Authority for the Albany Capital Center Project.
  • $1.4 million to The Wesson Group LLC to expand Midway and RV Sites at the State Fair in Syracuse.
  • $270,000 to Welliver McGuire Inc. to rehabilitate the front entrance at the State Fair in Syracuse.
Department of Health
  • $37.7 million to Maximus Inc. and $9.8 million to Computer Science Corporation for assistance with the state’s Health Benefit Exchange.
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
  • $1.2 million to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the Urban Area Security Initiative.
State University Construction Fund
  • $6.8 million to LP Ciminelli Inc. for construction of SUNY Buffalo’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
State University of New York
  • $2.4 million to Welliver McGuire Inc. to expand and rehabilitate the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.
Department of Transportation
  • $660,000 to The Pike Co. for design and construction services at the Rochester Amtrak Train Station.

Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries

The Comptroller’s rejection of nearly 1,100 payments valued at more than $1.9 million included 108 tax refunds valued at nearly $345,000. DiNapoli’s auditors also recovered nearly $70,000 from vendors owing debts to the state, and held payments of nearly $104,000 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.