Q&A
Addressing inflexible contracts and system evolution
1:34:18
ยท
119 sec
Councilmember Lee and Deputy Chancellor Hawkins discuss strategies for addressing inflexible contracts and evolving the early childhood education system. They explore potential solutions within the constraints of existing agreements and future planning.
- Lee questions who has the power to change inflexible contracts and suggests reevaluating RFP processes.
- Hawkins explains the limitations imposed by current agreements and the need to respect existing contracts.
- They discuss the possibility of being nimble within current constraints while also planning for future improvements.
- Hawkins emphasizes the importance of engaging providers and families in co-creating future solutions.
- Lee suggests working on parallel tracks to avoid delays in implementing improvements after current contracts end.
Linda Lee
1:34:18
Okay and to the Chair's point as well as what Councilmember Stevens was saying, because just going through your testimony, I know that you outline a lot of the issues like need to evolve, the system needs to evolve to better meet current needs, inflexible contracts, know, the rejiggering of seats and you know leading to unhealthy competition, inefficient use of resources.
1:34:42
So when I read I'm sorry is it okay if I finish?
1:34:44
So when I read all of these things my question is is we're looking to you all to guide us in terms of like so if you don't have the power to change the inflexible contracts, who does?
1:34:55
Right?
1:34:56
And is there a way to reevaluate even though we're in the middle of an RFP contracting process, is there a way to reevaluate or do white papers to do new RFPs with slightly different scopes right?
1:35:09
Because I know that with this program like you're saying if it's inflexible what is that solution?
1:35:14
How do we get to an possible new RFP that we do through white papers, through getting feedback and then administer that?
Simone Hawkins
1:35:21
Yeah that's the solution, right?
1:35:23
I think you know we have all signed an agreement or contract and we are all bound by the parameters of those agreements.
1:35:29
We want to respect that agreement too.
1:35:31
And so where we can be nimble, we want to be nimble, but we are also very much restricted by what can and can't happen, right.
1:35:38
This was a fair solicitation, we want to respect people who applied with the understanding these were the terms.
1:35:44
And so as we go into understanding where we can be as flexible as possible, we are exploring those council member and extending those opportunities to our providers.
1:35:54
But really where we have the most opportunity is as we reimagine the future.
1:36:00
And we are engaging in conversation with providers and even families around what they envision that to be so we can co create something together.
Linda Lee
1:36:08
Okay, mean hopefully that can be done almost on parallel tracks.
1:36:11
Absolutely.
1:36:11
In other words, we don't want this contract to end and then for us to start that process after.
1:36:15
So hopefully that's something.