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Q&A
Discussion on Housing Connect vendor and technological upgrades
0:38:30
·
165 sec
Council Member Sanchez inquires about the vendor for Housing Connect and potential obstacles to major technological updates. Acting Commissioner Tigani provides information about the vendor, Prutech, and discusses the agency's approach to implementing changes and improvements to the system.
- The vendor for Housing Connect is identified as Prutech, a long-time city contractor
- Tigani expresses confidence in the vendor's ability to implement significant changes within the current contract scope
- The discussion touches on the need for flexibility in the system to incorporate new technologies from the private market
Pierina Ana Sanchez
0:38:30
So on on that, I I wanna go back to this the questions about the contract and the vendor.
0:38:35
Who who is the vendor?
0:38:36
And can you just share if there are any hindrances with, you know, updating the the technology more, you know, in a in a bigger way than just radio buttons or or glitches?
0:38:48
What does that look like?
0:38:49
Do you have to recontract or anything like that?
Ahmed Tigani
0:38:52
So the vendor is Prutech.
0:38:56
They've worked with us before.
0:38:57
We work we're working with them on a number of different projects.
0:39:01
They have worked with the city for a long time.
0:39:05
They've they've, you know, we have talked to them about really having a pretty broad approach to making dramatic changes to the program.
0:39:16
I do feel at this point that within scope there is a lot that we can do.
0:39:21
A lot that certainly has been mentioned here at the hearing has been things that we've talked to them about and wanted to work on.
0:39:27
And as we continue to meet and talk, engage with both the public and regularly check-in with the council on this, I think that we'll be able to fit within our scope what we need to do.
0:39:39
There's always the opportunity.
0:39:40
There's always the chance in a tech contract that what we want to do goes further than where we are and then it will be necessary to do a a contract amendment.
0:39:50
But I I don't see that currently as an issue.
0:39:53
Their expertise and their record of delivering in the past suggest that they are able to do that work.
0:40:00
They were they gave very strong inferences about their ability to deliver on what we asked for.
0:40:07
And so, I feel like they have the tools to do it plus HPD staff and our colleagues at OTI.
0:40:13
So, I feel like we have the tools to get what we need done.
0:40:15
We have a pretty broad approach of trying to really push the envelope and especially in the things that have been discussed so far and the feedback we've gotten from marketing agents, that is within the scope of what we want to do.
0:40:25
And then the last piece of it that's always it's both interesting and will continue to keep us sharp is that the marketing agents and the owners are also developing new technology and engaging either through the lottery process or how they work with their re rental work or just how they manage their buildings.
0:40:43
We saw last year a couple of examples of new things that we learned that actually had interactions with the system that that causes us to pause and figure out how to make sure that we can work with them to do what they can do, what they need to do to work well with applicants, but not create this not create problems for our system.
0:41:04
So that really put into focus the idea that as we build something, it needs to have the flexibility to incorporate new technology that the private market is also working on.