Governor Rell: State Saves Over

$430,000 on Road Salt Contract

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the state has cut costs on its contract for road salt, a move that will save state and local taxpayers more than $432,000. The revised contract is the result of a January order from Governor Rell directing state purchasing officials to review more than 800 state contracts to determine which could be canceled, renegotiated or rebid for better prices.

            “I continue to do all I can to cut state spending and ease the burden on Connecticut taxpayers,” Governor Rell said. “If there’s a better deal available for taxpayers, I want it. In this case, the outrageous diesel fuel costs of last year have dropped, making it substantially cheaper to ship and deliver the rock salt. That is exactly the sort of ‘smart shopping’ Connecticut families and businesses are doing – and it is what they expect state government to do every day.”

            In January, the Governor ordered the Department of Administrative Services and the Office of Policy and Management to conduct a comprehensive review of state purchasing. Since then, nearly $914,000 has been saved through negotiating contract price concessions and an additional $236,000 saved from contract rebidding. Contract cancellations resulted in $1million savings while “Do Not Order” instructions placed on certain other contracts saved more than $18 million.

            The estimated savings on road salt is based on the number of tons of salt used on roadways during winter storms last season. See the attachment for a list of towns that saved money by participating in the state contract.

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