In March, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,458 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $19.5 billion and approved more than 3.8 million payments worth nearly $23.5 billion. The office rejected 215 contracts and related transactions valued at $520.4 million and more than 5,800 payments valued at nearly $8.6 million. More information on these contracts and payments is available at www.openbooknewyork.com.

Major Contracts Approved

Division of the Budget

• $2 million with Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP for disclosure and public finance counsel services.
• $1.5 million with Harris Beach PLLC for disclosure and public finance counsel services.

Department of Environmental Conservation

• $1.5 million with Covanta Environmental Solution LLC for pick up and disposal services for the pharmaceutical take-back program to properly dispose of unused medications.
• $1 million to Ulster County for the Ulster County Rail Trail.

Office of General Services 

• $12.9 million with Luck Brothers, Inc. to provide a campground and equestrian center at Frontier Town in Essex County. 
• $7.1 million with Bette & Cring LLC for construction of a North Country Welcome Center on I-81 at Exit 50 in Orleans, Jefferson County.
• $1.7 million with Marfi Contracting Corporation to replace the administration building roof at the State Armory in Queens County.

Department of Health

• $20.8 million for the Capital Restructuring Financing Program, including $5.5 million to the University of Rochester, $4.8 million to the Institute for Family Health, and $4.7 million to Richmond University Medical Center; $3.0 million for Tracy Towers Medical PC; and $2.8 million for Methodist Church Home for the Aged. 
• $2.4 million with ICF Macro, Inc. for consultant services for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Department of Transportation

• $16.2 million with Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors and the Wesson Group Joint Venture LLC for the Adirondack Welcome Center on I-87 in Queensbury, Warren County.
• $9.7 million with DA Collins Construction Co., Inc. for bridge rehabilitation on Route 9 & 20 over the CSX/Amtrak Railroad, and Route 9 & 20 over Route 9J Amtrak Railroad in Rensselaer County.
• $7.6 million with Defoe Corporation for bridge deck replacement on County Route 83 over I-495 in Suffolk County.
• $6 million with H&L Contracting LLC for overhead sign replacements and repairs in New York City. 
• $4.6 million with Commander Electric, Inc. for Installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and information technology equipment on Routes 27 and I-495 in various locations in Suffolk County.

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds

• $1.9 billion for 1.9 million personal income tax refunds.
• $133.6 million for 18,000 corporate and other refunds.
• $21.7 million for 76,000 property tax freeze credits.

Department of Civil Service

• $22 million to Beacon Health Options Inc. for the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) Mental Health & Substance Abuse Program.

Department of Education

• $2.6 million to New York University for the Higher Education Opportunity Program.

Empire State Development Corporation 

• $37.1 million to Fort Schuyler Management Corporation for costs associated with the Buffalo high-tech manufacturing innovation hub at RiverBend Park in Buffalo.
• $14 million to Economic Development Growth Enterprises (Mohawk Valley EDGE) for costs associated with infrastructure improvements at the Marcy Nanocenter in Utica.
• $6 million to Buffalo Urban Development Corporation for renovation, construction and equipment for the Northland Workforce Training Center in Buffalo.
• $5.9 million to Fuller Road Management Corporation for design, construction and facility improvements to the SUNY Poly NanoFab Xtension building in Albany.
• $3.5 million to Northeast UAS Airspace Research Alliance, Inc. for the design, procurement and installation of a radar/sensor test corridor between Syracuse and Rome for unmanned aircraft. 
• $3 million to State Tower Garage, Inc. for construction and renovation costs for the State Tower building in Syracuse.
• $1.5 million to Niagara Street Buffalo, LLC to renovate the Turner Brothers Lofts in Buffalo.
• $1.5 million to CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity for the Growing ENtrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York (GENIUS NY) business competition.
• $1.1 million to USA Niagara Development Corporation for the purchase of a vacant land parcel at 101 Buffalo Avenue in Niagara Falls.

Executive Chamber

• $440,000 to Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello P.C. for legal services and fees related to the U.S. Attorney's investigation of the Buffalo Billion Project and the SUNY Nano Program.

Office of General Services

• $24.5 million for hourly-based IT services, including $5.2 million to PSI International, Inc., $3.7 million to IIT, Inc., and $3.3 million to Knowledge Builders, Inc.
• $6.1 million to Prismatic Development Corporation for building renovations for the Manhattan Forensic Relocation project at the Manhattan Psychiatric Center.
• $6 million to HBP Joint Venture for design/build at the New York State Fairgrounds Exposition Center.

Department of Health

• $6 million to New York eHealth Collaborative, Inc. for the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY). 
• $4.3 million to Maximus, Inc. for assistance with the state's Health Benefit Exchange, including insurance enrollment and call center operations.

Department of Homeland Security

• $3.8 million to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the Urban Area Security Initiative.
• $2.1 million to New York City for the State Homeland Security Program.

New York State Legislature – Assembly

• $47,000 to Rossein Associates for outside counsel for independent investigations of sexual harassment.
• $28,400 to Roemer Wallens Gold & Mineaux LLP for outside counsel for independent investigations of sexual harassment.

New York State Legislature – Senate

• $5,000 to DeFio Kean PLLC for anti-harassment policy review.

State University of New York Construction Fund

• $2.3 million to LP Ciminelli for construction of a new building at the University of Buffalo's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Department of Transportation

• $5.5 million to Skanska Koch, Inc. for steel repairs on the Gowanus Expressway in Kings County.
• $4.9 million to Hudson Transit Lines, Inc. for New York's intercity bus passenger services.
• $4.9 million to New York City for operational support for the Traffic Management Center.
• $4.7 million to Tully Construction Co., Inc. for bridge rehabilitation on the Major Deegan Expressway.
• $3.4 million to Skanska-Kiewit-ECCO III JV for costs associated with the replacement of the Kosciuszko Bridge over Newton Creek, from Brooklyn to Queens.
• $3 million to Clinton County for the rehabilitation of the Plattsburgh International Airport.
• $3 million to Granite Construction Northeast, Inc. for the Kosciuszko Bridge replacement over Newtown Creek, from Brooklyn to Queens.
• $2.7 million to Yonkers Contracting Company, Inc. to reconstruct Exit 131 at the intersection of Routes 17 and 32 in Orange County.
• $2.5 million to El Sol Contracting ES II Enterprises JV for bridge repairs on the Gowanus Expressway in Kings County.
• $1.4 million to the Thruway Authority for I-87 emergency repairs over Catskill Creek, Greene County.
• $1.3 million to Marcy Excavation Services LLC for parking lot improvements at the NYS Fairgrounds in Onondaga County.

Unified Court System

• $21 million to New York City for court cleaning and minor repairs.

Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries

The Comptroller's rejection of more than 5,800 payments valued at nearly $8.6 million included tax refunds valued at more than $8 million. The Comptroller's auditors also recovered nearly $96,000 from vendors owing debts to the state, and held payments of more than $461,000 pending resolution of disputes between subcontractors and prime contractors.

Cumulatively through March for calendar year 2018, the Comptroller's office approved 4,325 contracts valued at $22.4 billion and approved nearly 11.3 million payments worth nearly $44.9 billion.  The office rejected 549 contracts and related transactions valued at $1.4 billion and nearly 9,200 payments valued at nearly $18 million primarily due to errors, improprieties, or lack of documentation.

Find out how your government money is spent at Open Book New York. Track municipal spending, the state's 145,000 contracts, billions in state payments and public authority data. Visit the Reading Room for contract FOIL requests, bid protest decisions and commonly requested data, including Legislative travel and per diem expenses.