The 1997 report is consistent with the continual decline in personal service contracts experienced during the 1990s, in which the total number of Civil Service approved service contracts dropped by 3,781 from fiscal years 1990 and 1997. Personal services contracts provide services that are temporary, specialized, intermittent, technical or that can be performed at a savings when compared to hiring a state employee. Examples of services provided to state government by outside contractors and specialists include foster care services, child abuse treatment, medical services, auditing services, software training, specialized software installation, computer programming, architectural design, janitorial services and snow removal. Civil Service Rule 4-6.1 defines a contract for personal services as a contract between an individual or organization and a state agency for direct benefit to the state and usually does not include the sale of goods.
Some contracts are both for goods and services.
If they are predominantly for services, they are included in these total amounts reported by Civil Service.