City’s Contracts Spending Hit Record for Adams Admin, Nearly 13K Contracts for Total of $42.45B

New York, NY – Today, the New York City Comptroller’s office published its annual report on the City’s contracting in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, providing a detailed overview of one of the largest contracting jurisdictions in the country. The City’s number and value of contracts grew from the prior year for the first time since FY22: 12,955 new contracts were registered in FY25 for a total value of $42.45 billion, across both the operating and capital budgets.  

“The City’s procurements reflect investments in critical infrastructure, social services, economic development projects, and a very wide array of goods and services that enable City agencies to accomplish their missions on behalf of New Yorkers,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “This year, we saw a large investment in the City’s Borough-Based Jail project, which is a critical part of the initiative to close and replace the jails on Rikers Island. Additionally, despite my office repeatedly ringing the alarm bell, the City’s contract registration delays continue to persist at worrying levels, which often place enormous financial strains on businesses and non-profit organizations that are doing work that New Yorkers rely on every day.” 

The Comptroller’s report provides a transparent and detailed snapshot of contracting activity, including information on what agencies have been purchasing, what procurement methods they are utilizing, the 10 largest contracts, contact modifications, purchase orders, and more. Some key takeaways from this year’s report include: 

• The City registered 12,955 new procurement and revenue contracts in FY25 for a total value of $42.45 billion. 
  • Both volume and value increased from FY24 levels. 
  • FY25 is the first year where volume and value are greater than the prior year since the start of the Administration. 

• The average procurement contract value was higher by about $750k in FY25. 
  • Although this increase can be attributed to the registration of three multi-billion-dollar contracts associated with the City’s Borough Based Jail (BBJ) program.  
  • Meanwhile, the City increased the number of small-dollar procurements made via purchase order (which the Comptroller’s Office does not register). 
  • New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) was the main driver of this increase. 

• We continue to report out on Delivery Orders (DO1s), which are a major driver of City Spending that was not covered in Annual Contract Reports prior to FY24.  
  • The value of DO1s increased relative to FY24 levels by over $130 million. 
  • The City’s retroactivity rate – or the percentage of contracts that are registered after their official start date already passed – dropped to 72.64% in FY25 compared to 80.65% in FY24. 
  • However, retroactivity remains worse for non-profits and human service contracts where 8-in-10 contracts are registered late. 

“City agencies continue to send the vast majority of contracts late to our office, year-after-year, and this is completely unacceptable,” said Charlette Hamamgian, Deputy Comptroller for Contracts and Procurement. “Without a registered contract, many organizations are forced to borrow to cover cash flow and triage their own expenses, making it difficult to pay their workers, sustain operations, and grow their footprint. Procurement delays also cause the City to compromise on standards designed to improve fairness and competition in the contracting space.” 

Under the New York City Charter, the Comptroller’s office is responsible for reviewing and approving most City contracts and agreements entered into by City agencies before they are legally effective and payments can be made. Once a contract arrives at the Comptroller’s office for registration, the office has up to 30 days to ensure that appropriate funds exist for the City to pay the vendors, confirm that the City agency followed the procurement rules, and to verify that there was no corruption in the decision-making process. The Comptroller’s office is currently the only City entity with a time limit proscribed by law in the City’s procurement process.   

In addition to the Annual Contracts Summary Report, which is required by law, the Comptroller’s office has provided an array of information about City contracts:  

• In a report from July, the office revealed that the Adams’ Administration consistently exploits city contract extensions: Negotiated Acquisition Extensions (NAEs) are meant to be short-term bridge agreements to keep vital services flowing until the City can bid for new contracts. Instead, the City uses NAEs to delay new contracts, forcing service providers, especially human service providers, to operate well past the maximum time period originally outlined by the agency and vendor. 

• The Comptroller’s award-winning Checkbook NYC offers a searchable database of information on City contracts. 

• The Office’s Contract Primer on NYC Contracting contains useful descriptions of many of the contract categories, solicitation methods, and contracting processes that are discussed in this Report.  

• In February, the office releases its annual report on M/WBE procurement, highlighting trends in the City’s efforts to make sure agencies are contracting fairly and inclusively. Read last year’s report here.  

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