Labor & Employment Law

Contracting with consultants

Contracting with consultants
Source: Governor?s Office Press Release -

An Executive Order has been promulgated by the Governor setting a new set of stringent standards governing the use of consultant contracts by state agencies. Additionally, a new task force will be put in place to review and report on agencies use of consultants.

The objective of the Executive Order is to improve transparency in state spending and to help prevent ineffective and inefficient utilization of outside labor.

The Executive Order applies to most consultant contracts where personnel costs exceed $1 million per year. The Order recommends the use of outside contractors only if the contractor will be more cost effective, efficient, or necessary to protect public health and safety. It also requires agencies to explain why outside consultants ? and not state employees ? are needed to perform a specific task. This and any other justification would later be reviewed by the new task force. In addition, agencies will be required to post this information on their websites, including a full listing of consultant contracts covered by the order.

The Executive Order also seeks to improve the transparency of the consulting contracting process. Agencies must post a list of qualifying contracts, along with the estimated cost and justification for each, on their website. Additionally, copies of the actual contracts must be made available to the public either on the agency?s website or upon request.

Members of the new Task Force are-

Director of the Budget, Laura Anglin, who will serve as chair

Deputy Secretary for Labor, Charlotte Hitchcock

Deputy Secretary for Economic Development, Timothy Gilchrist

Commissioner of the Department of Taxation and Finance, Robert Megna

Director of the Governor?s Office of Employee Relations, Gary Johnson

Commissioner of the Department of Civil Service, Nancy Groenwegen

New York State Chief Information Officer, Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart

Full post as published by New York Public Personnel Law on June 07, 2008 (boomark / email).