Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
B.P. Molinaro commends Deputy Mayor Goldsmith and DoITT Commissioner Carole Post for landing money-saving Microsoft deal
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today lauded Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) Commissioner Carole Post for securing a deal with Microsoft Corporation that will save the City and our taxpayers $50 million over the next five years.
The deal consolidates dozens of City licensing agreements into one contract, will allow the City to tailor computing services to its employee’s needs, and better allow City agencies to collaborate with each other and share information seamlessly. Enhanced operating systems, development tools, and new server technology will also help modernize the City’s technology systems. The partnership with Microsoft is the latest effort of the SimpliCity Program, which aims to make City government more efficient, electronic, and effective.
Molinaro said, “This is government at its best. Government should always look for ways to save money, especially in these tough economic times. Companies are in competition with each other to provide services to our great City, and it is imperative that City agencies take the initiative to negotiate and partner with them in order to get the best possible value of services for the least amount of money.”
“For too many years, government acted with a non-concern toward budgetary matters and the cost of goods and services, which put our City in a position where it could never expect to fully maintain the lofty budgets it once set for itself. Now, thankfully, the people who run our City are doing everything in their power to eliminate wasteful spending. Deputy Mayor Goldsmith and Commissioner Post should be applauded by the people of New York City for saving them an estimated $50 million over the next 5 years,” Molinaro said.
Molinaro continued, “I am sure that there are many places City agencies can look to trim the fat from their budgets without impacting the services they provide. My office has embarked on cost-cutting measures over the last few years, and we have been very successful in saving money without compromising services to our constituents. We have gotten rid of bottled water deliveries, and canceled hard-copy subscriptions to law books, instead relying on electronic copies via the internet, which has proved to be cheaper. We have also re-worked our contract with the service providers for our copy machines, which will save us almost $20,000 per year. These cuts, along with others, have made no measurable negative impact on my staff or the people I serve.”
“This most recent partnership with Microsoft and the subsequent financial savings it provides are examples of good government, and it is how all government agencies should strive to operate,” Molinaro concluded.
October 21, 2010