Ciy of New York v. Beame

Section 343 of the New York City Charter says, in effect, that if a contract for work, labor, supplies, materials or equipment involves more than the sum of $2,500, it must be *90founded on a sealed bid public letting, “ except that in a special case the board of estimate by a two-thirds vote may order otherwise ”.

At issue here is a management consulting contract for $250,000, awarded by the Mayor without competitive bidding and without Board of Estimate approval. The Comptroller has refused to register it as a valid contract or to certify it against the appropriation, pursuant to the…