Q&A
Challenges for new providers in obtaining contracts
2:32:41
·
44 sec
Council Member Stevens expresses concerns about new providers being excluded from the contracting process due to lack of experience. Commissioner Park explains how the department tries to broaden the definition of relevant experience.
- The city aims to take a broad definition of experience to avoid always going to the same pool of providers
- Experience can include operating shelters in other jurisdictions or having other human service contracts with the city
- The goal is to balance experience with bringing in new providers
Althea V. Stevens
2:32:41
But if we're only looking because I because I understand the capacity piece.
2:32:44
But even with the experience, sometimes that takes new people out of the running because they're not able to do it.
2:32:48
And we often know that sometimes the city goes to specific folks to say, I need you to take this contract, and that happens often.
Molly Wasow Park
2:32:55
So yes.
2:32:56
So sorry.
2:32:56
Let me finish the thought here.
2:32:59
So, one of the ways that we look at experience is we we try to take a broad definition so that it includes not just have you run a shelter in New York City because then we're only ever going to the same pool.
2:33:12
Have you operated shelter elsewhere in another jurisdiction?
2:33:16
Or maybe you haven't operated shelter, any place, but you have other human service contracts with the city of New York that provides a relevant skill set.
2:33:25
So we want
Althea V. Stevens
2:33:25
some even with that, that gets really hard because even with the model it has.
