Washington ? At a time when every political dollar is precious, the Democratic Party is spending $28 million to prepay costs of renovating its headquarters and beefing up its technology before big donations are banned after the November election.

The Democratic National Committee’s decision, supported by many of the party’s biggest donors, increases the GOP’s multimillion-dollar cash advantage for the fall elections that will decide control of Congress.

That’s because six- and seven-figure checks from unions, companies and wealthy donors are being routed into a special fund to pay in advance for the renovations, not into the DNC’s general so-called soft money pot used to promote the party and get voters to the polls.

“There’s been grumbling … ‘Can we afford to do this now?”‘ said Dane Strother, a Democratic consultant involved in several Senate races. “Perhaps a bigger question is, ‘Can we afford not to do it?’

“We don’t want it to cost us the Senate this cycle, but I don’t think it will. But it will pay dividends in the future,” he said.

The Republican National Committee raised $152 million through midsummer for this election, compared with the DNC’s $91.5 million. That includes money being directed to the building effort.

That gap isn’t the only bad news for Democrats. The DNC relies more heavily on soft money than the GOP, and the national parties will be forbidden from raising or spending such big donations when the nation’s new campaign finance law takes effect Nov. 6.

That means they must more aggressively solicit limited individual contributions known as hard money, a money source Democratic Chairman Terry McAuliffe says the GOP now taps more effectively.

Under the new law, individuals will be able to give a maximum of $25,000 per year per party committee, up to a total of $57,000, in hard money. That money can be spent however the parties want, including on direct contributions to candidates.

McAuliffe contends the renovations and technology upgrades are needed because Republicans have had more sophisticated donor files and fund-raising technology for years.

At least 1.7 million people have donated to the RNC this election cycle, compared with 1 million for the DNC.

“We are in the technological stone age in this building,” DNC spokeswoman Maria Cardona said. “Republicans did this years and years ago.”

The renovated DNC buildings will feature upgraded television and radio studios where members of Congress and candidates can tape interviews and campaign ads and have them beamed by satellite to their home states. They also will have a call-in center, improved computers and the wiring to support it all, Cardona said.

Armed with a promotional videotape portraying the technology gap between Democrats and Republicans, McAuliffe traveled the country for months raising money for the project.