Comptroller DiNapoli Ensures State Procurements Provide the Highest Value to New Yorkers
For more than a century, the Comptroller’s Office has conducted independent, pre-review of State and limited Public Authority contacts, adding transparency to the process and resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for taxpayers each year. As government contracting expands in size, scope and complexity this oversight is more important than ever.
The Comptroller's contract oversight extends to most State agency contracts, generally those where the contract value exceeds $50,000. The Comptroller may also review State public authority contracts valued at more than $1 million if they are either awarded noncompetitively or paid in whole or in part from State appropriations. In addition, any State agency seeking to waive competitive bidding and receive an exemption from its statutory requirement to advertise a procurement opportunity in the New York State Contract Reporter must first receive approval from the Comptroller's Office.
Benefits of the Comptroller’s Review
Promotes fair competition to ensure the best price and overall value for the State
Detects fraud and waste before tax dollars are spent
Confirms funding availability so that agencies do not overspend
Verifies vendor responsibility
Adds transparency to the process
Review Has Little Impact on the Overall Time Frame of Procurements
Comptroller DiNapoli's procurement experts and legal team are sensitive to agency deadlines and the State’s business needs and understand that delays can cost New York’s taxpayers and businesses money, keep workers idle, and harm not-for-profits.
2025 (Jan-Jun) Results Demonstrate Cost-Effective Oversight
13,988
Total Agency Contracts Received
7.18 Days
Average Time for Contract Review
90%
Reviewed Within 15 Days
Average Days to Review Contracts
Value of Contracts Reviewed by Calendar Year
Less Than 1 Percent of Contracts Take Longer Than 45 Days to Review
The very small percentage of contracts completed after the 31 day timeframe are generally due to complex procurements and/or protest procurements.
Tools and Dashboards
Search All Contracts
Search over 240,000 contracts that State agencies have with businesses, not-for-profit organizations and other governmental entities in effect April 1, 2012, or later. Includes contracts subject to the Comptroller’s review and approval and those that are not.
View Breakdown of Contracts by Agency/Authority or Type
Search and sort contracts by agency/authority, vendor and contract type.
Contract Review Highlights
Finding Opportunities to Renegotiate and Save Costs
The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) submitted a purchase from the Office of General Services Centralized Contract for the leasing of vehicles. While reviewing the cost reasonableness, the Comptroller’s team identified more advantageous pricing in the open market and requested that DOT attempt to negotiate lower costs. The contract was non-approved, and DOT elected to subsequently rebid, resulting in final pricing $399,533 lower than the original proposed purchase.
The Unified Court System – Office of Court Administration (UCS) submitted a purchase against an Office of General Services Centralized Contract for furniture. The Comptroller’s review identified that the pricing discount applied should have been at a greater rate according to the terms of the contract. Therefore, the Comptroller’s office requested UCS engage the vendor to obtain revised quotes. UCS subsequently engaged the vendor to have the proper discounts applied, which resulted in an estimated savings of $233,880.
Identifying Costly Errors and Contract Duplication
The City University of New York Accounting Office (CUNY) submitted a contract amendment to increase the funding for temporary staffing services. As part of the Comptroller’s review, CUNY was requested to explain the budget increase and estimated usage as there appeared to be sufficient funding remaining on the contract to cover the extension of services. CUNY confirmed the remaining funding on the contract was sufficient to meet their needs and the amendment was non-approved, resulting in an estimated savings of $130,101.
The Office of General Services Design and Construction Group (OGS) submitted a contract for construction work for the inpatient expansion at the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. The review by the Comptroller’s team identified that the contract value was established based on an estimate developed prior to the design for the project being finalized. The Comptroller’s office requested that the contract value reflect the most current design specification and non-approved the contract. The contract was resubmitted with a contract value reduction of $1,976,000, which was in line with the most current design specifications.
Ensuring a Level Playing Field for Vendors
The State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn submitted a contract for specialty pharmacy management services that included a price increase over the original bid. Allowing an increase after bidding would be inappropriate and unfair to other bidders. The transaction was returned and subsequently resubmitted reflecting the lower cost from the original bid, saving the State $2,938,135.
Part of a Fair Procurement Process is ensuring that interested parties are provided the opportunity to raise concerns about state contract awards. The Office of the State Comptroller independently reviews bid protests for contracts subject to the Comptroller’s review and approval. The Comptroller’s team recently reviewed the protest of the award for the construction of the I-81 Viaduct, Phase 1, Contract 5 conducted by the New York State Department of Transportation. The Comptroller’s office determined there was sufficient merit to overturn the contract award. The contract was non-approved and subsequently rebid, resulting in a lower winning bid than the prior contract award, saving the state over $35,000,000.