Q&A
Discussion on changes in procurement rules for demonstration projects
2:41:06
·
135 sec
Council Member Gutiérrez asks about recent changes in procurement rules related to demonstration projects. Cynthia Conti-Cook provides a detailed explanation of the changes and their potential implications.
- Recent rule change by the procurement policy board allowing demonstration project procurement without public notice or oversight
- Concerns about lack of transparency and competitive bidding in the procurement process
- Potential for companies to gain unfair advantages through exclusive access to city infrastructure and data
- Examples of companies like ShotSpotter and Mokify benefiting from this procurement process
- Ongoing evaluation of demonstration projects to assess the full scope of this procurement method's impact on local governance
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:41:06
Thank you.
2:41:07
And Did you do you wanna comment on the changes in the PPP rules related to demonstration projects?
2:41:17
The commissioner very you know, did not touch on it a
Cynthia Conti-Cook
2:41:20
whole lot.
2:41:21
But Yes.
2:41:22
I would.
2:41:22
So last week, the procurement policy board did a role to pass a rule change, although it was opposed it was past 3 to 2.
2:41:32
The procurement project rule change would allow demonstration project procurement to be used without public notice, without public oversight, it would allow it to be expanded upon without the kind of evaluation and more rigorous or or it's it's not terribly rigorous to begin with.
2:41:57
Demonstration projects are supposed to be an exception to the rule, where you pilot something and see how it works before you decide to engage with contracts in it.
2:42:06
The current expansion of demonstration project procurement, which was really driven by industry and the, you know, love of innovation and getting stuff done.
2:42:17
The limitation on that for New Yorkers is that we know less about what is actually being contracted.
2:42:23
There's no RFP.
2:42:24
It is not competitive, and it allows companies to really get a head start against other companies.
2:42:30
It allows companies to go in and gather data through city infrastructure, which is a very valuable ability for a company to have.
2:42:38
And once they exclusively are capable of building a technology tool based on the data that they've collected using getting the advantage of the city infrastructure, they've been able to access through demonstration project pilots, they are then really well positioned to be the most competitive bidder.
2:42:56
We've seen this with ShotSpotter.
2:42:58
We've seen this with Mokify in the digital wallets, and we're currently looking at all of the demonstration projects to evaluate just how many exist and get a better idea of the full scope of how this really opaque procurement process is replacing an undermining local governance.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:43:17
Wonderful.
2:43:17
Thank you.
2:43:18
Thank you so much for testifying and for sticking it out.
2:43:21
Thank you.
2:43:22
Next, Pam, know, we have Christopher Leon Johnson and Raul Rivera.
