QUESTION
What provisions can be put in place to prevent vendors from being unemployed during procurement delays?
1:21:13
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120 sec
The commissioner explains there was no funding for the composting program, which caused delays in the procurement process and left vendors unemployed.
- One vendor's contract with the city expires soon with no renewals available
- City rules prohibit starting procurement without funding in hand
- The funding lapse meant a new request for proposals (RFP) could not be issued
- Even if funding is restored, there will be a gap period while the competitive procurement process is finalized
Christopher Marte
1:21:13
On that note, What can we do especially with our contracts and the current RFP?
1:21:20
So we don't repeat this again.
1:21:21
What type of extension mechanism or provisions we can put in place where people don't have to be unemployed for months waiting for you to finish your procurement process.
Jessica Tisch
1:21:33
Thank you, council member.
1:21:35
The issue that we are running into now with the curbside composters is and it's it's first instance, it's a funding question.
1:21:47
Right?
1:21:47
So to answer answer your question.
1:21:50
On the funding side, if it was baselined in in the budget, then we wouldn't have we wouldn't be in the position that we're in now, although I guess it could be subject to a peg even if it was baseline.
1:22:03
But The real issue that we face today is that there is no funding.
1:22:08
There is a second compounding problem where if the funding is restored, 1 of the community composters grow NYC.
1:22:19
Their long term contract with this city expires this summer with no more renewals available.
1:22:27
And per the the city's rules, I cannot begin a procurement today without having the funding in hand to fund it.
1:22:40
And so be had the funding not gone away a few months ago or 6 months ago, we wouldn't be in this position because we would have started a procurement for the next year, and there wouldn't have been any gap period.
1:22:56
But because the funding went away when it did, we were unable to to put out a new RFP and start that procurement.
1:23:04
So even if the money comes back, we will have certainly a gap period while that competitive procurement is finalized.