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Q&A
NYCHA's response to DOI recommendations
0:31:25
·
171 sec
Council Member Chris Banks inquires about NYCHA's partial acceptance of DOI recommendations and the justification for not implementing geofencing technology in current contracts. Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber explains the DOI's position on NYCHA's response.
- NYCHA accepted the majority of recommendations but cited concerns about implementing changes to current contracts
- The DOI is pleased with NYCHA's acceptance of most recommendations but cannot fully evaluate the nuances of current contracts
- Providing sufficient resources for in-person inspections could help maintain oversight if current contracts cannot be changed
Chris Banks
0:31:25
Yeah.
0:31:28
NYCHA only partially accepted for the DOI's twelve recommendations.
0:31:34
Primary declining to implement changes to current contracts.
0:31:40
Does DOI believe that NYCHA's response adequately addresses the serious oversight issues identified in the investigation?
Jocelyn Strauber
0:31:50
So what I'll what I'll say here is, you know, we we receive we we share our report when it's complete, but before issuance with the agency so we can get their feedback and so we can incorporate their responses and we incorporate them as they provide them.
0:32:06
Whether you know, one of the things that that NYCHA says with respect to geofencing is that it would be overly burdensome and require substantive contract changes that would be too time consuming to achieve to try to essentially retroactively change the terms of current contracts.
0:32:24
You know, I'm not I'm not in a position at this point without doing sort of a further deep dive to assess that.
0:32:30
Certainly, you know, we were looking at the contract with Allied.
0:32:34
We haven't we haven't looked at every contract that these recommendations would be affected by.
0:32:39
So I think I think the answer is that that these are NYCHA's responses.
0:32:43
We're certainly, you know, very pleased that that they've accepted the majority of the recommendations.
0:32:48
As to the nuances of what they can and can't do now, I I'm really not in a position to comment on those contracts because I haven't reviewed them.
Chris Banks
0:32:57
Okay.
0:32:57
Well, do you believe that NITRA can maintain adequate oversight if they do not implement all the changes?
Jocelyn Strauber
0:33:04
I think it's harder for the reasons that I've just said, but I think, you know, providing sufficient resources so that OSS can do in person inspections, which is what we did to shed light on these issues, I think will go a long way if in fact the current contracts are simply not amenable to change at this point.
Chris Banks
0:33:23
Okay.
0:33:25
Nite nitricided a course and time concerns as a reason for not implementing the geofencing technology in current in current in the current contract in current contracts.
0:33:37
Given that millions were potentially wasted on under unperformed services, Do you find this justification convincing?
Jocelyn Strauber
0:33:49
Well, again, it's it's hard to say because the the the losses or waste that we found relates to the allied contract.
0:33:57
I think the concerns about implementation of the recommendations relate to to current contracts.
0:34:03
And again, I don't know whether there's, you know I I just don't know the cost of reforming, revising, renegotiating the current contracts.
0:34:12
So I think we need to know more about that to really fully evaluate that response.