In December, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,605 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $3.7 billion and approved more than 1.7 million payments worth nearly $17 billion. The office rejected 134 contracts and related transactions valued at $244 million and nearly 1,900 payments valued at nearly $39.6 million, primarily for mistakes, insufficient support for charges, and improper payments. More information on these contracts and payments is available at Open Book New York.

Major Contracts Approved

Office of Cannabis Management

• $1.2 million with Bio-Tech Medical Software Inc. for a cannabis seed to sale tracking system.

Executive Chamber

• $2 million with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP for legal counsel.

Office of General Services – Design & Construction

• $2.7 million with Postler & Jaeckle Corp. to replace pumps, heat exchangers and domestic water chillers at the Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Corning Tower in Albany County.
• $2 million with VMJR Companies LLC for masonry repairs at the Sheridan Avenue steam plant in Albany County.
• $1.2 million with Ferguson Electric Inc. to replace an emergency generator at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center in Erie County.
• $1.1 million with United Paving Corp. for parking lot pavement at the Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center in Suffolk County.

Office of Information Technology Services

• $35.5 million with Zones LLC for information technology service desk support for NYS agency users and citizens.

Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation

• $5 million with Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions Inc. for infrastructure and land improvements at Lake Welch in Harriman State Park in Rockland County.
• $4.6 million with J D Northrup Construction for utility upgrades at Lake Erie State Park in Chautauqua County.

New York State Thruway Authority

• $8.3 million with Union Concrete and Construction Corp. for bridge replacement on Beaver Island Parkway over I-90 in Erie County.
• $7.3 million with Slate Hill Constructors Inc. for bridge replacement on Warners Road over I-90 in Onondaga County.
• $4.7 million with Tioga Construction Company Inc. for bridge replacement on North Main Street over I-90 in Madison County.

Department of Transportation

• $446.7 million with El Sol / Defoe JV for Hunts Point Interstate access improvements project in Bronx County.
• $9.4 million with Crane Hogan Structural Systems Inc. for bridge superstructure pier repairs at various locations in Monroe County.
• $7.4 million with Jointa Lime Co. for resurfacing on I-87 in Saratoga and Warren counties.
• $5.6 million with Bothar Construction LLC for resurfacing on Route 434 in Tioga County.

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds and Credits

• $706.5 million for 32,363 personal income tax refunds.
• $155.2 million for 16,048 corporate and other tax refunds.
• $151.7 million for 144,187 property tax credits.
• $13.3 million for 56,026 additional child and earned income tax payments.

Division of Budget

• $7.6 million to support the COVID-19 pandemic response, including $5.6 million to The Boston Consulting Group Inc. and $2 million to Accenture LLP strategic advisory/consulting services.

Office of Children and Family Services

• $40.4 million under the Child Care Stabilization Grant to childcare providers to help cover unexpected business costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and to help stabilize operations so that providers may continue to provide care.

City University of New York

• $3.7 million to support the COVID-19 pandemic response, including: $1.1 million to Empire Electronics Inc. for business software; $562,400 for software maintenance and support, which includes $527,200 to Dell Marketing; $365,100 for desktop computers, which includes $171,200 to Riomar Group Ventures Inc.; and nearly $1.7 million to 43 vendors for various other purposes such as building and grounds equipment repairs & maintenance, parts and peripherals, office supplies and guards.

Department of Civil Service

• $331.2 million to CaremarkPCS Health LLC to provide pharmacy benefit services for the Empire, Excelsior and Student Employee Health plans.
• $24.6 million to Beacon Health Options Inc. for benefit services for the Mental Health & Substance Abuse Program of the Empire Plan.

State Education Department

• $1.1 billion in general aid to 485 school districts.
• $962.7 million in excess cost aid to 647 school districts for school-aged special education students.

Empire State Development Corporation

• $75 million to Wolfspeed Inc. for a portion of the design, construction, fit-out and equipping costs of a Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Device Manufacturing facility in Marcy.
• $5 million to CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity for the Growing Entrepreneurs & Innovators in Upstate New York (GENIUS NY) program.
• $2 million to Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission for the acquisition and rehabilitation of a property to house the Commission’s activities in Buffalo.

Office of General Services

• $8.8 million for hourly-based IT services, including: $2.2 million to Knowledge Builders Inc. and $6.6 million to 28 other vendors.

Department of Health

• $10 million to support the COVID-19 pandemic response, including: $5.6 million for local grants and public assistance, which includes $2 million to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York Inc. and $909,000 to the Catholic Charities Food Bank of the Southern Tier; $1.5 million for client services, which includes $1 million to VIP StarNETWORK LLC; and more than $2.9 million to 30 vendors for various other purposes such as call centers, IT equipment maintenance and support and laboratory supplies and materials.
• $24.7 million to Maximus Inc. for assistance with the Health Benefit Exchange, including insurance enrollment and call center operations.
• $12.4 million to New York eHealth Collaborative Inc. for the Statewide Health Information Network of New York.

Office of Information Technology Services

• $5.7 million to support the COVID-19 pandemic response, including $5.4 million to Deloitte Consulting LLP for applications development; and $300,000 to two vendors for other purposes including call centers and security/protection software.

Department of Labor

• $197.2 million for payments under the Unemployment Insurance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation programs.

State University of New York

• $1.8 million to support the COVID-19 pandemic response, including: $740,400 for medical supplies and materials, which includes $623,700 to bioMérieux Inc.; $420,000 to Amerisource Receivables Financial Corporation for laboratory supplies and materials; and $640,000 to 23 vendors for various other purposes such as laboratory and dental supplies and materials.

Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

• $47.2 million for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
• $3.1 million for the Landlord Rental Assistance Program.

Other Contract Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries

OSC rejected tax refunds and credits valued at more than $1.1 million. The Comptroller’s auditors also recovered more than $503,000 from vendors owing debts to the state and held payments of nearly $652,100 pending resolution of disputes between subcontractors and prime contractors.

Cumulatively through December for calendar year 2022, the Comptroller’s office approved 17,629 contracts valued at $41.1 billion and approved nearly 31.2 million payments worth more than $171.1 billion. The office rejected 1,476 contracts and related transactions valued at nearly $5.9 billion and nearly 54,400 payments valued at nearly $253.4 million primarily due to errors, improprieties, or lack of documentation.

Track state and local government spending a Open Book New York. Under State Comptroller DiNapoli’s open data initiative, search millions of state and local government financial records, track state contracts, and find commonly requested data.