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QUESTION

What are the recommended practices to improve NYCHA's micro purchase contracting process?

0:39:08

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The Department of Investigation recommends centralizing contracting, implementing a cost estimate schedule, and verifying completed work to improve NYCHA's micro purchase contracting process.

Centralizing contracting responsibilities away from housing development staff.
Implementing a cost estimate schedule for the top goods and services, requiring written explanations for costs exceeding the schedule.
Verifying work completion with before and after photos and having services and invoices reviewed by someone outside the housing development staff.

Gale Brewer

0:39:08

What are the vulnerability points in Knight's current micro purchase contracting process?

0:39:14

And again, you sort of outline this, it allowed the fraud, what best practices around the micro purchase contracting, the DOE recommend, that night should adopt to close off on the rolling gap.

0:39:26

So maybe you'll just say that the contracting should be done centrally.

0:39:29

Maybe that's your answer, but I wanted to hear

Jocelyn Strauber

0:39:31

I think the most important ones, that is one of the most important ones, the removing the responsibility or removing the contracting responsibility from the housing development staff.

0:39:39

I also think the cost estimate schedule is quite important because one of the things that was mentioned in the the article, and I think you're referring to the article in the city I am.

0:39:53

Was the the disparate costs for the same type of services or goods.

Gale Brewer

0:39:58

A light bulb for $708.

Jocelyn Strauber

0:40:00

Exactly.

0:40:00

So if you have a cost schedule that says, you know, and and we we we we proposed that the sort of top 15 goods and services and you could tinker with the exact number to get it right, but that there be a schedule of what those items should cost.

0:40:14

And what we've recommended is if it's gonna cost more that there'd be a written explanation, that that explanation be approved by somebody outside the development, the housing development app before the contracting goes forward.

0:40:26

Again, these things do and can take a little more time, but our view is that that small amount of additional time is worth it to ensure that you can better control cost.

0:40:36

So I think that's another critical aspect of what we recommended.

0:40:40

And the third piece is ensuring that the work was actually done.

0:40:44

And that involves having photographs before and after photographs that are centrally available statement of services and the invoice again to be reviewed by someone outside the development staff so that they can confirm that the residents are actually getting the services that NICE is paying for.

Gale Brewer

0:41:01

Thank you.

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