CONTRACT CONSULTANTS FOR RECOVERY AUDITS FOR CERTAIN OVERPAYMENTS.

(a) The comptroller may contract with one or more consultants to conduct recovery audits of payments made by state agencies to vendors. The audits must be designed to detect and recover overpayments to the vendors and to recommend improved state agency accounting operations.

(b) A contract under this section:

(1) may provide for reasonable compensation for services provided under the contract, including compensation determined by the application of a specified percentage of the total amount recovered because of the consultant's audit activities or recommendations as a fee for services;

(2) may permit or require the consultant to pursue a judicial action in a court inside or outside this state to recover an overpaid amount; and

(3) may not allow a recovery audit of a payment during the 180-day period after the date the payment was made in order to allow time for the performance of existing state payment auditing procedures.

(c) The comptroller or a state agency whose payments are being audited may provide a person acting under a contract authorized by this section with any confidential information in the custody of the comptroller or state agency that is necessary for the performance of the audit or the recovery of an overpayment, to the extent the comptroller and state agency are not prohibited from sharing the information under an agreement with another state or the federal government. A person acting under a contract authorized by this section, and each employee or agent of the person, is subject to all prohibitions against the disclosure of confidential information obtained from the state in connection with the contract that apply to the comptroller or applicable state agency or an employee of the comptroller or applicable state agency. A person acting under a contract authorized by this section or an employee or agent of the person who discloses confidential information in violation of a prohibition made applicable to the person under this subsection is subject to the same sanctions and penalties that would apply to the comptroller or applicable state agency or an employee of the comptroller or applicable state agency for that disclosure.