Comptroller Stringer Statement on the Charter Revision Commission’s Expert Panel on Procurement

   In advance of the Charter Revision Commission’s Expert Forum on Finance to evaluate focus areas for the 2019 Charter, Comptroller Stringer released the following statement urging the consideration of procurement reforms to address the City’s widespread problem of delayed contracts:

“Charter Revision is an opportunity to build a stronger city and tackle modern-day challenges that we just couldn’t have envisioned thirty years ago,” said Comptroller Stringer. “In 1989, a procurement system that ran like dial-up may have seemed cutting edge. But today, it’s a bottleneck for City government and simply unacceptable. There are widespread delays that are running organizations, especially non-profits, into the ground and that puts the vulnerable New Yorkers they serve – our seniors, children, and homeless families – in harm’s way. We need transparency and accountability in procurement, now. As the Charter Revision Commission defines its focus moving forward, I hope they’ll consider these necessary changes.”

In January, Comptroller Stringer released a report detailing rampant delays in the City’s procurement process:

• 80% of new and renewal contracts across all agencies and industries were submitted late for registration after the contract start dates had already passed in Fiscal Year 2018.
• These delays are especially rampant among human services contracts. 89% of new and renewal contracts human services contracts were submitted late and more than half of these contracts were late by more than six months.
• Delayed contract registration causes serious problems because vendors can only receive payment once a contract is registered. The situation is particularly dire for non-profit human service organizations that serve some of the City’s most vulnerable populations – including seniors, the homeless, and children.

Comptroller Stringer has called for significant Charter reforms focused on making the procurement process more transparent and efficient including:

• Instituting timeframes for every City agency with an oversight role in the procurement process, similar to the explicit 30-day timeframe for contract registration required for the Comptroller’s office.
• Requiring the City to create a public facing tracking system to bring additional transparency to the contracting process.

Deputy Comptroller for Contracts and Procurement Lisa Flores will testify at tonight’s charter expert forum on the need for procurement reform. To view the testimony as prepared, click here.

To see Comptroller Stringer’s full report on recommendations to the Charter Commission, click here.

To see Comptroller Stringer’s letter to the Charter Commission on procurement proposals, click here.