Main Banner

NEWS from the Office of the New York State Comptroller
Contact: Press Office 518-474-4015

DiNapoli Announces State Contract And Payment Actions For October 2015

Enhancing OSC’s Open Government Efforts

November 30, 2015

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office approved 215 contracts valued at $109 million and approved 1.7 million payments worth $5.8 billion in October. His office also rejected 45 contracts and related transactions valued at $31 million and more than 6,900 payments valued at $3.6 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties. This month’s low volumes occurred because certain October contracts and payments were accelerated into September to allow for an upgrade of the Statewide Financial System.

Cumulatively through October for calendar year 2015, DiNapoli’s office has approved approximately 16,200 contracts valued at $142 billion and approved 25.5 million payments worth $107 billion. His office has also rejected 1,660 contracts and related transactions valued at $4.4 billion and 33,100 payments valued at $127.5 million.

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. These independent audits also help ensure payments are free from fraud, waste and improprieties. The Comptroller’s office averaged eight 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.

Major Contracts Approved

Department of Agriculture and Markets
  • $531,900 grant to the Scenic Hudson Land Trust Inc. for farmland protection.
State Education Department
  • $44.9 million with Questar Assessments Inc. for testing in Math and English Language Arts for grades three through eight. 
Department of Health
  • $1.9 million with Bio-Tech Medical Software Inc. for a medical marijuana seed-to-sale tracking system.
Office of Information Technology Services
  • $2.78 million with Oracle America Inc. for yearly software maintenance renewals and consulting services in relation to ITS business intelligence and human capital management applications. 
New York State Police
  • $154,200 lease with SG Chappaqua B LLC for State Police barracks at New Castle.
State University at Stony Brook
  • $20.5 million financing agreement between SUNY, DASNY and Bank of America Public Capital Corporation under the Tax Exempt Equipment Leasing Program for the acquisition of various equipment for Stony Brook Hospital.
Thruway Authority
  • $7.2 million with D. A. Collins Construction Co. to rehabilitate the May’s Point moveable dam on the Erie Canal in the Syracuse area.
  • $4.4 million with Union Concrete and Construction Corp. to rehabilitate four bridges at Thruway interchange 50 in the Buffalo area.
Department of Transportation
  • $2.4 million with Ben Ciccone Inc. for emergency highway repairs at various locations in Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester counties.
  • $2.3 million with Constar Inc. for rail installation on Long Island Expressway I-495.
  • $1.8 million with Luck Brothers Inc. for bridge rehabilitation on Rte.86 over the West Branch of the Ausable River in Essex County.

Major Payments Approved

Tax Refunds
  • $578.3 million for 169,000 personal income tax refunds.
  • $189.5 million for 23,000 corporate and other refunds.
  • $288,000 for 2,400 property tax freeze credits.
Department of Agriculture and Markets
  • $255,000 to the New York Wine & Grape Foundation for marketing promotion.
Department of Civil Service
  • $90.6 million to CaremarkPCS Health LLC for employee prescription benefits.
  • $8.7 million to ValueOptions Inc. for mental health and substance abuse services for state and local government employees.
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
  • $754,000 to McKesson High Volume Solutions Inc. for the central pharmacy automation system.
Unified Court System (UCS) - Office of Court Administration
  • $21.2 million to NYS Civil Service Health Insurance for UCS employee benefits. 
Department of Economic Development 
  • $43,000 to Travel Link Marketing Co. LTD for tourism representation services in China.

State Education Department
  • $1.5 million to New York University, $1 million to Columbia University, $549,000 to Syracuse University, and $526,000 to Cornell University for Bundy Aid to independent colleges and universities.     
  • $110,000 to Creative Academy of New York LLC for the Statewide Universal Full Day Pre-Kindergarten program.
  • $77,000 to New Ventures Charter School for planning and implementation.
Office of General Services
  • $884,000 to the Albany Convention Center Authority for the Albany Capital Center Project.
Department of Health
  • $107.6 million to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for insurance premiums.
  • $2.4 million to Computer Sciences Corporation to assist with the state’s Health Benefit Exchange.  
  • $260,000 to Associated Medical Schools of New York for the Diversity in Medicine programs.
  • $238,000 to Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Medical Center for the rural health care assessment development program to improve access and coordination of care.
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
  • $28.1 million to New York City for the Urban Areas Security Initiative.
Office of Information Technology Services
  • $102,000 to KPMG LLP for independent validation and verification services.
New York State Assembly
  • $63,000 to Graubard Miller for legal services related to the reapportionment of state legislative and congressional districts.
Department of State
  • $252,000 to Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation for the Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program.
New York State Thruway Authority
  • $95 million to Tappan Zee Constructors LLC for the Tappan Zee Bridge Project.
  • $1.7 million to HNTB New York Engineering & Architecture PC for Tappan Zee Bridge engineering services.
Department of Transportation
  • $3 million to Union Concrete and Construction Corp. for reconstruction of connections to the Peace Bridge Plaza in the city of Buffalo.
New York State Urban Development Corporation
  • $901,000 to Empire State Development Corporation for Buffalo Bills Inc. to operate and maintain the stadium for the professional football team.

Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries 

The Comptroller’s rejection of nearly 6,900 payments valued at approximately $3.6 million included 5,800 tax refunds valued at nearly $972,000. DiNapoli’s auditors also recovered more than $81,000 from vendors owing debts to the state.

Open Book New York

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 by DiNapoli to promote openness in government and provide taxpayers with better access to the financial workings of government.