S.B. 1543 Summary

• Requires each purchasing agency to provide detailed justification for hiring external consultants, including demonstrating lack of in-house capacity, conducting cost-benefit analyses, and publishing reports for public and legislative review.

• Caps spending on consulting services at a specified percentage of each purchasing agency's budget and requires legislative approval for individual consulting contracts exceeding a specified dollar amount.

• Mandates agencies disclose all new contracts with external consultants, including total costs, consultant names, work scope, and deliverables.

• Requires annual reports to the legislature on the number of external consultants used and percentage of agency budget spent on consulting, to be submitted no later than twenty days before each regular session.

• Directs the Compliance Audit Unit to conduct regular audits of agency consultant contracts for cost-effectiveness and compliance; exempts highly technical expertise unavailable in the State and short-term emergency needs from these requirements.