Rell orders freeze on state purchasing

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By abc7NY

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

HARTFORD Rell ordered all of her commissioners and executive directors to avoid any purchasing which is not absolutely and immediately essential to the operation of state agencies.

"The state continues to face a mounting budget deficit in the current fiscal year and we must achieve cost savings wherever and whenever possible during the remaining months of fiscal year 2009," Rell said. "I have instructed agency heads to suspend purchasing of all items and goods, except for those deemed as absolutely essential to the operation of each agency."

Rell noted that targeted savings include:

$3.23 million in office supplies including paper, toner cartridges, folders and pens

$1.1 million in industrial supplies including cleaning products, hand tools, hardware and vacuuming equipment

$362,000 in office equipment including fax machines and small printers and by canceling the preventive maintenance agreements on such equipment

$70,000 in outerwear and uniforms -- not including savings on contracts that have already been canceled.

As part of the governor's ongoing cost-savings measures, Department of Administrative Services' officials have also started renegotiations on certain state contracts. One recent renegotiation resulted in a 20 percent reduction of the cost of confidential/secure/bulk industrial shredding services.