QUESTION
Why has the development of the MyCity app shifted from in-house to outsourcing, and what are the financial implications?
1:28:03
·
3 min
The development of the MyCity app has shifted from in-house to outsourcing due to workforce challenges, with $41,000,000 earmarked for its development.
- The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) mentions challenges in maintaining the development in-house and the shift to outsourcing.
- An earmarked budget of $41,000,000 for the MyCity app includes foundational services supporting external programs.
- The shift supplements the workforce, allowing for the progression of various city programs amidst budget cuts.
- Workforce challenges in the tech sector prompted the decision to partner with third-party vendors for development support.
- The administration emphasizes delivering on promises, highlighting the implementation of several initiatives besides the MyCity app.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:28:03
Now in the past testimony, maybe, like, a year and a half ago or oh, over a year, there was conversations in your testimony about the MyCiti app being maintained entirely in house.
1:28:15
Mhmm.
1:28:15
That that is not the case anymore?
Matthew Fraser
1:28:18
Yeah.
1:28:18
Victims are victims of our success.
1:28:20
That's what I would say to that.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:28:22
And so my understanding is that the city's entered into a number of contracts.
1:28:26
Great.
Matthew Fraser
1:28:26
We have.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:28:27
Okay.
1:28:29
How how much is the actual spending for the development of my city?
Matthew Fraser
1:28:34
So it we can go through a financial analysis with counsel, but what I'd say is that answer is very complicated.
1:28:41
So if you're looking at development that's exclusive to my city, that's that, I believe, as Ed pointed out, our deputy commissioner managed budget, we have about $41,000,000 airmark, but even within that $41,000,000.
1:28:54
A lot of the services that are built on a foundational level will go to support things that are that are traditionally outside of the MICE City universe.
1:29:01
So I think to go, we can we can break it down piece by piece and and show you how the numbers add up.
1:29:07
And part of the reason why we had to supplement the workforce was because we wanted to ensure that as we push forward other programs, we didn't lose inertia behind the things that would impact the our constituents the most.
1:29:20
So child care move forward, big Apple Connect move forward, jobs portal move forward, chat up move forward and everything moved forward at a time where we were slashing budgets
Alex Stein
1:29:30
Mhmm.
Matthew Fraser
1:29:31
Because of out of necessity.
1:29:33
But somehow, we've managed to get all those things through without stopping and that required additional support because at the same time as we're building at the same time as we're building one thing, demands are increasing in other areas, and the city of workforce is only so so big.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:29:48
So was there is was there cost savings and shifting from building this app totally in house to moving with 3rd party vendors?
Matthew Fraser
1:29:56
I wouldn't necessarily wouldn't necessarily say they'd be called there was cost savings.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:30:00
Was it be was it because of personnel that you couldn't hire
Alex Stein
1:30:03
or
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:30:03
because of vacancies?
Matthew Fraser
1:30:04
Oh, I mean, personnel personnel is a challenge across the entire tech space no matter what vertical you serve, whether that's public say public or private sector.
1:30:14
And hiring people at the rate that would be necessary to sustain programs like this, it's it's a very challenging thing to do.
1:30:23
So I think for us, having a partner that could supplement the workforce in addition to the people that we had dedicated was the best, most expedient thing that we could do.
1:30:34
As an administration, we focus very heavily on cost of an action it's very easy to sit here and tell you that come out and make a press announcement about something that we will do, and then we'll never deliver
Alex Stein
1:30:43
it.
1:30:43
Mhmm.
Matthew Fraser
1:30:44
And like many administrations have done before us.
1:30:46
We said we would launch the largest municipal broadband program.
1:30:49
We put Wi Fi in every public housing development.
1:30:51
We did we said we'd bring you a childcare portal.
1:30:54
We did We said we would do an AI chatbot.
1:30:56
We did.
1:30:57
So everything that we put our name to, we wanna make sure that we actually deliver in the time we said we will.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:31:03
Roughly.
Matthew Fraser
1:31:04
Roughly.
Alex Stein
1:31:05
Yeah.
Matthew Fraser
1:31:05
But delivered is delivered.
1:31:06
When's the win?