Q&A
Changes in IBSP contracts and funding over time
0:46:56
·
4 min
Council Member Farías inquires about changes in IBSP contracts and funding over the years, considering inflation and increased workload. Kitty Chan from SBS explains their approach to maintaining service levels despite static funding.
- The amount for each IBSP contract has remained the same
- SBS has leveraged technology to make the IBSPs' workload easier, including Fund Finder, SBS Connect, small business hotline, and virtual services
- Despite static funding, SBS claims to be servicing more businesses than ever
- Council Member Farías expresses concern about the need for more individualized services and potentially increased funding
- SBS acknowledges that more money would make a difference but emphasizes their focus on providing quality, effective, and efficient services
Amanda Farías
0:46:56
That's okay.
0:46:56
Okay.
0:46:57
Thank you.
0:46:58
I wasn't sure if you had, you know, a quick number in front of you.
0:47:02
Appreciate that.
0:47:03
And just to kind of piggyback off of some of the questions that council member Aviles, answered, as I'm sure you folks know, we are both a part, and work with, our industrial, service providers quite frequently, especially she has a huge portion in her district that she represents.
0:47:21
In terms of the IBSP contracts, how have they changed over the past years to reflect inflation and their increased workload?
Kitty Chan
0:47:31
Thank you very much for that question.
0:47:33
So the amount for each contract has remained the same.
0:47:37
What we've done is actually look to see how we could leverage technology to make their workload easier.
0:47:42
For example, the Fund Finder, SBS Connect, the s b our small business hotline, utilizing Teams, the ability to provide, some services virtually.
0:47:56
So I think that what we've done is, though the, the amount has remained the same, we've actually been able to service more businesses than ever.
Amanda Farías
0:48:07
Do you think that I feel like my question is always, like, I know we could do more with more money.
0:48:16
But do you think that the way we're being able to service more people with the same amount, though the numbers have increased, it doesn't necessarily reflect always the type of services that individual businesses might need where the IBSPs have to step in and take on that effort more individualized versus, like, the agency to IBSP relationship?
0:48:41
Do you think more money could be utilized towards, yes, the continual expansion of services to businesses, but just in a different way?
0:48:52
Thank you
Kitty Chan
0:48:52
very much for that question.
0:48:55
Yes.
0:48:55
Money would always make a big difference.
0:48:58
But I think what we've been able to do in the last couple of years and we're actually currently doing is actually taking a look at all of our programs across the board to make sure that we're providing quality services that we're being not only effective, but also efficient, with what we're doing.
0:49:15
We wanna make sure that, we're not doing the same for the sake of doing the same, but actually making sure that what we're doing has an impact.
Amanda Farías
0:49:25
Sometimes I find that, you know, the the municipality, right, both this this just city hall, generally, or our agencies are looking, to to depend deeply on our community connections.
0:49:39
Right?
0:49:39
The IBSPs are those, the small businesses, the BIDS, the BIDS executive directors, the merchant associations.
0:49:45
All those folks are really our connections back to on the ground where we can't necessarily be every single day, but that doesn't necessarily mean that, every offering that we give is taking the load off of the amount of, like, 1 on 1 work they have to do.
0:50:03
And I feel like in the nonprofit world and sometimes even in this world with IBSPs, we're asking for folks to really be the middle person between what the city cannot do for small businesses or industrial businesses on the ground.
0:50:18
And so all that to say, it's an upcoming
UNKNOWN
0:50:20
cycle is coming.
0:50:20
And, like, last fiscal
Amanda Farías
0:50:20
year, I was asking for an coming and, like, last fiscal year, I was asking for an increase in this space.
0:50:27
I'd love to continue talking about where we can push a little bit harder on getting increases because we do wanna make sure, all while we're doing strategic plans and all of your initiatives that are effective, maybe not necessarily are getting full expansions, but where there could be more investment made to ensure that we are formalizing or setting a good foundation for folks, we're doing that in partnership.
0:50:52
Just a couple more questions around this, and then I'd like to jump into a few around MWBEs.
0:50:57
Do we have a current timeline for IBSP contracts?
