QUESTION
How can staff initiatives address tension between central and local housing development staff?
0:35:01
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136 sec
Centralizing contracting authority while involving field staff in proposals aims to reduce inefficiencies and tension.
- Field staff will maintain a role in proposing necessary work but will not control contracting.
- The centralized procurement process is designed to avoid delays in vendor selection.
- Recommendations from field staff aim to facilitate efficient vendor identification by centralized staff.
- Introducing a prequalified vendor list, vetted in advance, is expected to streamline the process.
- The approach seeks to deliver services efficiently to residents and alleviate previous issues.
Gale Brewer
0:35:01
I mean, I just want to go back to that question because in the monitor's report, I think there was a discussion about the challenges of working between the development staff, meaning the field staff, and central.
0:35:14
There was a lot of tension.
0:35:16
So is that something that would continue do you think if it is that the central staff has more oversight than the local staff.
0:35:28
Think the the problem is we all want to have easily purchased at the right price at the locality so that the apartment can be fixed up more rapidly.
0:35:37
That's the problem.
0:35:38
That we're trying to address, obviously, it's not addressed.
0:35:41
So my question is on the on the staff initiative, I know you can decide how many staff need to be there.
0:35:48
But if there is staff in the development, meaning in the field, and centrally, do you have some sense that that could continue to work because the monitor thought there was too much tension.
Jocelyn Strauber
0:35:59
Well, I think the the way it would work is that we're not we're not totally removing responsibility for the process from the development staff.
0:36:06
They're gonna make a proposal about the work that needs to be done.
0:36:10
What they're not gonna do is have the authority to do the contracting.
0:36:14
And so I think it'll be important to have the unit sufficiently staffed so that it can keep pace with the request so that there isn't lengthy delays in having the centralized staff procure the vendor.
0:36:26
And as you say, I think these are some of the concerns.
0:36:29
And again, I'm not gonna be for them, but perhaps that NYCHA had about making this kind of structural change, and and we certainly don't wanna delay getting residents, the services, and work done that they need.
0:36:43
But I do think that having the development staff make a recommendation as to what is needed to a centralized staff that then will identify the appropriate vendor.
0:36:52
We're also recommending, I have an talked about every single recommendation, but we're also recommending a prequalified list of vendors that has been fully vetted.
0:37:00
So I think it is possible to make the process move efficiently.
0:37:04
You know, there's there there can be different kinds of tension and work spaces, but I think this will enable, you know, the work to get done for the residents efficiently without, you know, the kind of issues that we've seen, and that's really what we're focused John.
Gale Brewer
0:37:16
Okay?