Gov. Rell Orders Freeze on All State Agency Purchasing

 Purchase Ban on Items and Goods Will Help Close Budget Shortfall

During Remainder of Fiscal Year 2009                      

                Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that she has directed all executive branch agency heads to freeze the purchasing of goods and items for the remainder of the current fiscal year which ends June 30, 2009. The Governor 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,” Governor 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.

“Families and businesses are cutting back in every way imaginable to try to get through these tough economic times,” the Governor said. “They are delaying purchases and simply going without certain items. We must require state government to do exactly the same thing. It is very simple – the State will get by with less.”

The Governor 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; and

·        $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.

“Taken together, all of the cost-savings initiatives I have proposed over the last several months add up to significant dollars that will make a sizeable dent in the state’s budget deficit,” Governor Rell said. “Cutting back and making do with less are ways to make state government leaner and more efficient. Government must demonstrate that it can exercise the same kind of fiscal discipline that working men and women are displaying each and every day during this national economic downturn.

“I am committed to making sure that government does not add to the heavy burdens already being placed on household budgets across Connecticut,” the Governor said. “Families cannot raise taxes on someone to pay their bills and neither should state government. Instead, we must continue to find ways to make our government less costly.”