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Q&A
Commissioner Bonilla and Director Chafee discuss agency staffing levels and contract processing capacity
0:17:13
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85 sec
Commissioner Grace Bonilla asks IBO Director Louisa Chafee if agency staffing for contract processing has kept pace with the number of contracts. Chafee notes significant staff reductions post-COVID and a lack of strategic rebuilding, confirming it's an issue IBO is studying, but finds it tricky to mandate staffing levels via the charter, suggesting directing the Procurement Policy Board (PPB) might be more feasible.
- IBO is researching staffing levels and their impact on contract processing, particularly after post-COVID reductions.
- Chafee expresses difficulty in mandating specific management staffing levels via the charter but suggests the charter could direct the PPB to require certain actions or standards.
Grace Bonilla
0:17:13
Thank you, Lisa, for your testimony.
0:17:15
Isn't it true that the number of contracts have not kept pace with the number of staff that are processing in every agency?
Louisa Chafee
0:17:25
So we are the independent budget office is looking really closely at the staffing, which went from approximately 320,000 employees to approximately 200 I'm looking to get the numbers right.
0:17:37
286,000, and it has but the reduction in those during the COVID years was completely unsystematic.
0:17:47
And there is certainly not a strategic rebuilding, and because of hiring practices of two for one, etcetera, there are many both procurement and lawyers and contract managers that haven't been filled appropriately.
0:18:03
By coincidence, we're about to produce a report on this, but we don't have as much detail as we'd like to, but we do believe it is an issue.
Grace Bonilla
0:18:10
But looking forward to your report, my question is as a follow-up, is there something that we could do with the charter to ensure that staffing or systems actually pays the number of contracts the city is taking on?
Louisa Chafee
0:18:25
We'd like to get back to you on that because I think it's it's tricky to mandate the management, but I think there are things that the PPP could require.
0:18:35
The charter could instruct the PPP to execute.