Courtesy of Checkbook NYC
“Checkbook NYC lets New Yorkers look under the hood of the agencies that represent them, and today’s update makes it better,” Stringer said.
By Forum Staff
Detailed sub-vendor spending will be displayed on Checkbook NYC – the online transparency resource for City contracting, payroll, spending, revenue, and budget data, Comptroller Scott Stringer announced on Friday.
According to Stringer, Checkbook NYC’s sub-vendor dashboard will include additional information, such as:
A widget outlining the number of contracts citywide that require sub-vendor data to be reported and, if such a requirement exists, if the data has been submitted;
A second widget showing how many proposed sub-vendors have been approved or rejected by agencies’ chief contracting officers, across the entire city;
How many proposed sub-vendors are at each stage of the approval process at each agency; and
How many sub-contracts have been entered into by prime vendors by agency.
“Checkbook NYC lets New Yorkers look under the hood of the agencies that represent them, and today’s update makes it better. It’s another step towards reinventing how we, as a government, interact with our constituents. With technology changing rapidly, we have an opportunity like never before to make government more accessible to everyday people. That’s exactly what this new tool aims to do,” Stringer said. “Making more data public also encourages change. We want to see more M/WBE companies hired as sub-vendors. By publishing our performance today, we’re more likely to see better results tomorrow.”
Stringer also noted that in addition to allowing every interested party outside of government to view information on sub-vendors, this information will also enable:
Prime vendors and Agency Chief Contracting Officers to see which vendors have declared and entered sub-vendor information on prime contracts, as required by the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services;
Prime vendors to review the status of all their contracts and sub-vendor data; and
Sub-vendors to cross-reference information entered by prime vendors with their own accounts payable systems to ensure proper, prompt payment from prime vendors.
According to the Comptroller’s Office, Checkbook NYC is a first-of-its-kind online transparency tool that provides up-to-date information about the City’s finances. The updates announced on Friday are the third update to Checkbook NYC since Stringer took office. Previously, the Comptroller’s Office added data from the City Economic Development Corporation and included information about minority- and women-owned businesses.
“This is the start of the process — not the end. Right now, there’s a small amount of sub-vendor information in Checkbook. It won’t be filled overnight. Over time, we know more information will be added and we know it will yield a more open government,” Stringer said.
