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Q&A
Implementation of DOI recommendation on contract oversight division
1:08:22
·
129 sec
Council Member Brannan inquires about DHS's progress in implementing the DOI recommendation to divide contract oversight responsibilities between fiscal and program management specialists. Commissioner Park discusses the challenges and ongoing efforts to address this recommendation.
- DHS agrees with the recommendation but faces city-wide hiring constraints
- The agency is actively working on designing an optimal program model
- Commissioner Park explains the current structure and its benefits, as well as its challenges
- DHS is collaborating with OMB to balance accountability and pace of review
- The agency has received approval for some hiring outside the normal allocation process
Justin L. Brannan
1:08:22
Okay.
1:08:23
Yeah.
1:08:23
What I was starting on before, DOI recommended that DHS divide contract oversight responsibilities between employees who specialize in fiscal management and employees who specialize in program management.
1:08:36
DHS indicated that it agrees with this recommendation but is unable to implement it due to city wide hiring constraints.
1:08:43
So could you tell us how many additional personnel would you need to hire to implement DOI's recommendation?
Molly Wasow Park
1:08:50
Yeah.
1:08:50
So this is something that we're looking at really closely right now.
1:08:54
You know, I think the reason it has been structured the way it has been in the past is that there was, really a feeling that having staff who know what's going on on the ground, who can say, you know, you invoiced for 5 caseworkers, but when I was there last week, there were only 4.
1:09:12
Right?
1:09:13
Like, that it's actually useful to have that level of of intimacy with with a provider's records.
1:09:20
I think it also creates other challenges both in the pace of review, because people have have dual responsibility for both the programmatic work and the invoice review, and then some of the concerns that DOI raised on on separation of duties.
1:09:35
So it's something that we're actively working on right now, looking at what the best options are.
1:09:41
You know, I'm not I I think it would be premature to say where we are landing on what the program model should be and then the staffing model that we'll need to talk about with OMB, but, OMB has been a good partner working with us on the need to balance accountability and pace of review.
1:09:58
Very grateful to them that we've been able to get, sign off to do some hiring on filling existing vacancies, but doing some hiring outside the, the allocation process that is limiting most of our hiring so that, that does get to both contracting and invoice review so that we are able to increase both our accountability and our pace.
Justin L. Brannan
1:10:19
Have you discussed with OMB specifically around the hiring would that would be needed to comply with DOI's recommendations?
Molly Wasow Park
1:10:27
Not yet because we're still designing what we think the optimal program model looks like.