Outsourcing in FY 2011?
Because my newspaper was missing today, I logged on to the New Jersey Press Association web site to check for legal notices. There were two Request for Qualifications, or RFQ, notices for a wide range of professional services. Besides five legal specialties on one notice, there was a variety of engineering and planning services on the other.The notion of outsourcing a planner's part-time job came up in talks on layoffs. Some speakers doubted the ability of an outside consultant to replicate the work of the in-house principal planner who was facing layoff.
These notices appear to be setting the stage for outsourcing a lot of work. Curiously, in past discussions of how RFQs and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are made public, officials last year said they were posted on the city web site and vendors knew to look there, but none of the professional services RFQs in the Courier News are on the city web site today.
As Plaintalker has often noted, a small legal notice is sometimes the first clue to a news story. The NJPA format is much easier to read than the fine print in the newspaper. To see the NJPA's Public Notices page, click here.
And stay tuned as the possible expansion of outsourcing unfolds.
--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 9:16 AM
3 Comments:
If a city official really did suggest that vendors knew where to look for RFQs that would confirm what many suspect: that those with connections are those who get to play. What unconnected but otherwise qualified, or perhaps "credentialed", vendor would have the time to search all 600+ NJ municipalities and counties for opportunities? Advertising all RFPs and Qs and in an accessible central location may be a step in the right direction of opening up vendor searches to a wider talent pool, hopefully with a wider vision to match.
Perhaps the city council would consider passing a ordinance mandating wide posting of all city sponsored opportunities?
I also looked yesterday and they did not appear. Seems like Cory Storch has a point regarding pay to play.
Hi, Bernice,
We need to establish competitive bidding for city contracts. This is one way to end corrupt "pay-to-play" practices which result in behind closed doors awarding of city contracts.
One of the things that I have been championing for years is for Plainfield to pass the Model Ordinance for Municipal Pay-to-Play Reform. The New Dems Democratic club hosted a meeting with Heather Taylor from the Citizen's Campaign, and I have the ordinance. It needs to be passed here in Plainfield, and that is at the top of my list. I will be blogging about it--thanks!
Rebecca
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