Government procurement consulting

Ruth Walters Receives CTG Award

January 14, 2019 by Ruth Walters Leave a Comment

I was pleased to be honored at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Center for Technology in Government (CTG) at the University at Albany on October 30th. I was one of six recipients of the CTG Founders’ Award for playing a part in creating this unique Center.

A research institute, CTG UAlbany was established in 1993 to pursue new ways to use technology to address practical problems of information management and service delivery in government. Over the past 25 years, CTG has grown to advance both research and practice in open data visualization, smart cities, shared services and information sharing networks.

In 1993 then Governor Mario M. Cuomo announced the creation of a Center “to pursue creative ways of applying technology… to focus on increasing productivity, reducing costs, increasing coordination and enhancing the quality of government operations and public services.” I was appointed by the governor to serve on the original CTG Advisory Board and it’s been my pleasure to watch CTG thrive to become world renowned for transforming public service through innovations in technology, policy and management.

Twenty five years went by in a flash, but the Center continues its good work day in and day out.

Ruth Walters Moderates Women in Politics Panel

October 23, 2018 by Ruth Walters Leave a Comment

I was honored to serve as the moderator for a panel of bipartisan women who gathered to discuss “Women in Politics — 2018 and Beyond.” The event was sponsored by Russell Sage College and was widely attended by students and community observers.

Republican New York State Senator Kathy Marchione, Democratic Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, Niskayuna Republican Town Supervisor Yasmine Syed and Democratic Albany City Councilwoman Dorsey Applyrs spoke about women in government and their own personal experiences. All four discussed the record number of women seeking elected office this year and the challenges faced by female politicians.

There was general consensus around two trends: the increase in women running for elected office is not a one-time event but a trend that we can anticipate increasing; and, women bring unique qualities to the local, state and federal political scene and we need to encourage women from all walks to get involved in elected politics.

I wholeheartedly agree!

Walters Offers Overview of 2018-19 Budget at the New York State IT Corporate Roundtable

May 21, 2018 by Ruth Walters Leave a Comment

Ruth Walters was one of three presenters to offer details on the recently enacted 2018-19 budget. At the May meeting of the New York State Forum corporate members, Walters outlined the following details:

• The All Funds budget is $163.3 billion, while the State Operating Budget (that part of the budget paid for by state taxpayers) is $100.1 billion. Once again, Governor Cuomo held state operating funds to under a 2% rate of growth.

• Approximately 56% of the budget is made up of two areas of state spending — Medicaid and state funding for education.

• Two proposals were enacted to help mitigate the impact of changes made on the federal level that capped state and local tax deductions. The new programs — an Employer Compensation Expense Program and the creation of a state and local charitable funds — will need to be approved by the IRS before they can become effective.

• Two new taxes also were proposed by the Governor and approved by the Legislature. The first proposal taxes manufacturers and distributors of opiods. The second imposes a new $2.75 tax on ridesharing in New York City

• Several of Governor Cuomo’s proposals reforming the state’s procurement process and expanding New York’s program for Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBE) were not approved by the Legislature. However, the MWBE statute, which was scheduled to sunset at the end of this year, was extended through December 2019.

Governor Cuomo Announces His Executive Budget

January 18, 2018 by Ruth Walters Leave a Comment

On January 16th, Governor Cuomo presented his budget for state fiscal year 2018-19. Much of his presentation focused on the impact that federal tax reform will have on New York State. “Washington hit a button and launched an economic missile and its says ‘New York’ on it and it’s headed our way,” he remarked.

Overall, the Governor’s budget holds state spending to under 2%, except for increases in the overall appropriations for education and health. Additionally, the Governor laid out several proposals, including instituting a payroll tax and creating several non-profits, as possible vehicles to lessen the impact of Washington’s tax proposals.

The Governor also proposed several procurement reforms as part of his budget. These include: clarifying the State Inspector General’s authority over state procurements; establishment of a New York State Chief Procurement Officer to serve as the “principal officer tasked with oversight of state procurements”; and, prohibiting campaign contributions from persons or organizations holding state government contracts.

2018 Legislative Session Planning

December 4, 2017 by Ruth Walters Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, the Senate and Assembly released its Legislative Session Calendar for 2018.

While the release of the legislative calendar allows us to start planning for 2018, this year’s calendar is full of dates and holidays which are bound to complicate the already complicated State budget process. The start of New York’s fiscal year is April 1, 2018, setting an ambitious schedule for what is bound to be a tough budget season. We’re already hearing that New York is facing an over $3 billion deficit for next year and the indications from Washington are that the proposed federal tax bill will only deepen New York’s fiscal woes.

Couple our budget cycle with a fickle holiday schedule (Passover starts March 31st and Easter Sunday falls on April 1st)and we’re bound to have very tough budget making season.

Stay tuned.

Statewide MWBE Conference Draws Over One Thousand Participants

October 10, 2017 by Ruth Walters Leave a Comment

I was honored to moderate a panel at Governor Cuomo’s New York State MWBE Forum on October 5th. Our session, “The ABC’s of Discretionary Purchasing,” had five state agency and public authority officials describing how each uses discretionary purchasing to meet their MWBE goals. Our session highlighted numerous opportunities for MWBE firms wanting to do business in New York.