Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson (D-Rochester/Chili/Henrietta) announced the Assembly and the Senate passed legislation he authored that would reform the way the state handles the hiring of outside consultants (A.8159). This legislation would require agencies to conduct a cost comparison between state agencies and outside consultants before entering into a contract for consulting services of more than $750,000, to determine which group would make the most financial sense for the state of New York.

“Taxpayers have called on the State to find cost efficiencies and reign in State spending,” said Assemblymember Bronson. “There is no reason that we should be spending more for outside consultant services when we have professional state employees that are capable of performing the same duties at a much lower cost to the state.”

“PEF is very thankful to the Senate and Assembly majorities for passing legislation that would require state agencies to conduct formal “cost-benefit” analyses before entering into contracts for outside, private consulting services (S.5356/A.8159).Last year, the state spent almost $1 billion on outside service contracts without providing any information as to how or why those decisions were made.We commend the long-time bill sponsors Assemblymember Harry Bronson and Senator Neil Bresin for continuing to be the voice of reason for taxpayers who want and expect their government to do its due diligence to ensure that our tax dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively. While there are certainly instances where contracting out for services makes sense, we also see millions of dollars being wasted on outside consultants for information technology and other services that could be done by staff in the state agencies for far less. Taxpayers need and deserve to have access to the rationale behind these significant spending decisions.We urge Governor Hochul to continue to hold true to her commitment to ensure greater transparency for all state agencies by signing this legislation into law,” said PEF President Wayne Spence.

“The State spends billions of dollars on outside consultants each and every year. By some estimates, the state spends 32% more on state contracts for personal services today than it did a decade ago, and the cost of services provided by consultants is significantly higher than services provided by the state employees. By requiring the state to look at alternative options before entering into these contracts, this legislation will result in considerable savings to the taxpayers,” added Assemblymember Bronson.

“It’s imperative that we have a system in place that makes fiscal sense,” said Assemblymember Bronson. “This legislation will create New York State Comptroller reviews providing more transparency and make certain our taxpayer dollars are used wisely. This will improve the function of governmental projects and will make government more responsive to its citizens.”