New York Archives - Checks and Balances Project

Coordination or Coincidence? 2 NYC Agencies Say They’ll Respond on the Same Day to Our Records Request

2019-11-13

The old-school definition of Freedom of Information means that the public has a right to most documents that are created by officials whose work and salaries are paid by taxpayers. A newer version, it seems, means that public officials have the obligation to protect a government agency from possible embarrassment by hiding documents.

Which NYC Official Failed to Collect Ivalua’s $25M Bond for Non-Performance — and Why?

2019-09-30

Two years and tens of millions of dollars into a contract for an eProcurement system, there was no design.

NYC’s Chief Procurement Officer Left Town as Ivalua eProcurement Project Melted Down

2019-09-19

Michael Owh moved to Los Angeles as the bungled, $30.5 million contract missed deadline after deadline. Now costs are approaching $50 million and the custom built platform intended for use by 40 city agencies still doesn’t work as promised.

While de Blasio Runs for President, Things Get Curious at NYC City Hall

2019-09-10

At the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, the responses to our public records requests make the staff look like they’re hiding something.

Did the de Blasio Admin. Collect Ivalua’s $25 Million Bond for Non-Performance?

2019-09-4

Two years after the $30.5 million contract was signed, the expensive project to custom-build an online eProcurement platform for use by City government agencies didn’t work as promised. But instead of cancelling the contract it was increased by $15 million.

C&BP Analysis: NYC Pays 340x More Per Agency for an e-Procurement System than Dallas

2019-05-17

It appears that KPMG used persistent lobbying to obtain the $30,515,448.83 contract. The Dallas system cost just under $50,000.

De Blasio Admin: Monopoly Citi Bike Contract Records Won’t Be Provided Until May 2019

2018-10-26

Mayor’s Open Government Grading System Would Likely Give His Administration Failing Grade for Unusually Long Response Time

NYC Deputy Mayor Glen and DOT Commissioner Trottenberg Asked About Monopoly Bike Sharing Contract Extension

2018-10-9

Did the Decade-Long Deal Benefit Wealthy NYC Insiders While Locking Out Others in the Rapidly Changing Mobility Industry?

NYC Extends a Monopoly Bike Sharing Contract For 10 Years, Not Five

2018-09-17

Who Benefits by Locking Out Competition While a Mobility Revolution Surges Worldwide? New York City officials agreed in December 2017 to renew a monopoly bike sharing contract with Motivate, formerly the owner and operator of Citi Bike, sticking with the purveyor of docked bike sharing technology in use in a large portions of Manhattan plus… Read more »

Questions Focus on How New York City’s de Blasio Administration Buys Procurement Software

2018-09-11

What Role Did KPMG’s Procurement Practice Leader Play in Securing a Lucrative Contract for the iValua-KPMG Partnership? Since Checks and Balances Project began an examination into the lucrative industry of selling e-procurement software to local and state government agencies, we’ve grown particularly interested in the way in which the software has been purchased by New… Read more »