The bill, Substitute House Bill No. 7232, mandates the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) to conduct a comprehensive review of the state contracting process for all state agency contracts and payment policies related to service providers and nonprofit organizations. This review, which must be conducted in consultation with the Department of Administrative Services, the State Comptroller, and the Attorney General, aims to identify staffing adequacy, complications arising from the tiered procurement process, and issues with payment policies that may delay timely payments. The findings and recommendations from this review are to be reported to the Connecticut General Assembly by January 1, 2026.

To facilitate this review, the bill includes a provision for the OPM to incur a cost of $950,000 in FY 26 for hiring a consultant, as the existing staff is insufficient to meet the review requirements within the specified timeframe. The bill also emphasizes the feasibility of utilizing master contracts and allocating funds from previous fiscal years to support ongoing programs when contracts are delayed. The effective date of the bill is from passage, and it introduces new legal language to current law while also specifying the need for a review of approximately 36 agencies.