New Yorkers have a well-known tendency to stock up during crises — a trait that has been mirrored in the actions of the New York City government in recent emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the asylum-seeker influx.
The panic reaction of City Hall, however, has proved to be far more destructive, with emergency procurement practices seemingly spiraling out of control.
Instead of adhering to standard cost-control measures, city government has engaged in what can be termed ‘crisis buying’ for an extended period without performing necessary oversight, price comparisons, or evaluating contractor integrity.
Currently, when a state of emergency is declared by the mayor, the city’s comptroller and corporation counsel surrender their usual oversight responsibilities regarding contracts and procurement.
Though officials argue this suspension facilitates a quicker response to emerging issues, the reality is that this leads to no-bid contracts being awarded for up to a year.
By bypassing the competitive bidding process, many of these contracts become prone to overspending and corruption.
To illustrate, one wouldn’t dream of buying a car or searching for an apartment without comparing prices; yet, this is precisely what City Hall does whenever an emergency is declared.
Furthermore, city agencies are not mandated to submit emergency contracts to the comptroller for pre-audit before spending taxpayer dollars.
From January 2022 to September 2023, an alarming 84% of emergency contracts were submitted more than 31 days after they began, demonstrating a lack of accountability.
Both current Mayor Eric Adams and former Mayor Bill de Blasio have been accused of failing to maintain proper oversight during these crises, leading to allegations of corruption and politically motivated spending, particularly concerning the asylum-seeker and COVID response efforts.
De Blasio’s administration was especially scrutinized for its reckless spending during the pandemic, extending emergency contracts over 100 times and spending nearly $7 billion on emergency supplies without any meaningful oversight.
With no concern for affordability or prudent spending, the city paid inflated prices for critical items — including an extraordinary $7.50 for cloth masks that never arrived and spent exorbitantly on ventilators.
Following the pandemic, the city’s mismanagement continued as demonstrated by its attempts to sell off nearly $224 million worth of surplus emergency supplies while only recouping $500,000 — a dismal return on investment.
The current administration has not improved matters, recently awarding a $432 million emergency contract to an untested firm named DocGo for asylum-seeker services.
Reports of DocGo’s subpar performance have arisen, including chronic food waste, mold-infested hotel rooms, and unlicensed security personnel, leading the state attorney general to launch an investigation.
Even beyond emergencies, the city has failed to rein in contractors, such as David Levitan, one of New York City’s notorious landlords.
Levitan’s owned properties have served as homeless shelters for years, despite their appalling conditions marked by rotting floors, broken elevators, and pest infestations.
Furthermore, Levitan has forced nonprofits operating shelters within his buildings to contract with his own maintenance or extermination services, thereby siphoning off even more taxpayer funds.
In response to these ongoing issues, City Council Member Julie Menin is advocating for significant reforms to the city’s emergency procurement protocols.
Emergencies are, by their very nature, time-limited and should thus necessitate a strict cap on the use of no-bid contracts, ensuring that efficiency does not come at the expense of oversight.
Menin is preparing to introduce two bills in the New York City Council aimed at tightening emergency procurement processes.
If passed, the proposed reforms will limit emergency contracts to just 30 days, subject to extension only with the approval of the comptroller and corporation counsel.
Additionally, the legislation will require all contracts to be submitted for auditing within 15 days of signing and will impose substantial fines of up to $100,000 for failing to disclose conflicts of interest or competing commitments.
Menin asserts that New York’s contracting system has unjustly burdened taxpayers for long enough, criticizing previous mayoral administrations for disregarding responsible procurement practices.
Advocates argue that this new legislation could be the pivotal step needed to safeguard fiscal resources, restore accountability, and combat systemic corruption in the city’s procurement landscape.
image source from：https://nypost.com/2025/06/10/opinion/nyc-must-hit-the-brakes-on-mayors-wild-emergency-spending/
