Contracting for Shelter and Services
The City of New York has entered into hundreds of emergency contracts to provide shelter and services to tens of thousands of asylum seekers.
The Comptroller’s Office has gathered information from City Hall and publicly available sources to create an as comprehensive as possible picture of the contracts and costs. Table 1 provides a high-level breakdown of known contracts by agency as of May 1, 2024. A full list of all known contracts is available for download below.
Table 1. Summary of Known Contracts by Agency
| Agency | Number of Contracts | Number of Registered/Filed Contracts A | Current Contract Amount B,C |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES | 1 | $20,000,000 | |
| DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS | – | – | $44,583 |
| DEPARTMENT OF CITYWIDE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES | 15 | 12 | $458,824,560 |
| DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION | 14 | 14 | $2,746,061 |
| DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE | 1 | 1 | $500,000 |
| DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESS SERVICES | 227 | 150 | $4,424,980,345 |
| DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT | 14 | 6 | $760,428,670 |
| DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS | 11 | 11 | $229,744,146 |
| DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATION | 1 | 1 | $6,890,040 |
| DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES | 15 | 13 | $50,023,031 |
| DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT | 11 | 9 | $1,900,001 |
| DEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION | 1 | 1 | $18,000,000 |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORTATION | 3 | $0 | |
| LAW DEPARTMENT | 3 | 3 | $35,500,000 |
| OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT | 33 | 22 | $324,684,552 |
| Grand Total | 351 | 244 | $6,334,265,989 |
| H+H Records D | Number of Contracts | Number of Registered/Filed Contracts | Current Contract Amount |
| H&H Records as of April 2024E | 45 | N/A | $1,127,513,284 |
| H&H Records shared by Admin Prior to April 2024 F | 48 | N/A | $2,148,713,296 |
| Download Data | |||
- While not all records included in this file are subject to registration requirements per section 2-12 of the PPB rules, the data in the “Number of Registered/Filed Contracts” column reflects contracts in the City’s Financial Management System (FMS).
- Current Contract Amount is the current contract value for registered/filed contracts, and values for pending actions as reported by the Administration. Since the City’s asylum response began, some related contracts have been amended. Where amendments have been registered, the revised value of the contract is reflected. Otherwise, the original contract value is reflected.
- The award values of MA1 and MMA1 contracts are not reflected in these totals as the values of these types of agreements represent potential contract capacity only. To better reflect the actual value associated with the use of these contracts to support asylum work, this summary displays totals based on the value of task orders issued against the corresponding MMA1s, as well as direct orders issued against corresponding MA1s, where an asylum-related budget code has been indicated. MA1-857-20238804225 DO1 spending is split between DCAS, OEM, and HPD. MA1-857-20211201516 DO1 spending is split between DCAS and DHS. MA1-857-20181203197 DO1 spending is split between OEM and DHS.
- H+H emergency contracts are not filed with the Comptroller’s Office. The information shown here reflects what has been reported to the Comptroller’s Office by the Mayoral Administration.
- Prior to April 2024, the Adminstration provided the Comptroller’s Office with periodic updates to its contract tracker. The data shown here reflect what was provided on January 26, 2024 and was the same as what had been provided in its November 3, 2023 update.
- On April 8th, 2024, City Hall provided the Comptroller’s Office with a new list of H+H asylum related emergency contracts which includes different records (fewer in number – some new and some duplicative).
Emergency Procurement
Emergency contracting brings greater risk of waste and fraud, as agencies scramble to procure goods and services with less time and competition. The Comptroller’s Office issued a best practices memo to all City agencies with guidance on increasing competition and oversight even in time-sensitive emergency contexts. The emergency procurement process, governed by the Procurement Policy Board’s rules, enables agencies to contract for goods and services before submitting the final contracts to the Comptroller’s Bureau of Contracts Administration for review and registration. After contracts are underway, the Comptroller’s Bureau of Audit is empowered to conduct investigations and audits of city agencies or vendors to ensure that they are meeting their obligations and using resources wisely.
- Read more about the risks of emergency contracting and the Comptroller’s Office’s recommendations in the Rethinking Emergency Procurement report.
- Read the Comptroller’s best practices memo to agencies on containing costs in emergency contracting.
- Suggest an audit to the Comptroller’s office.
The Office of the Comptroller uses the term “asylum seeker” to refer to newly arrived migrants who have come to NYC in need of shelter and are seeking asylum or other forms of immigration relief.