Request For Proposal Goes Out For City’s Core Services Review
Prince George, BC – A Request for Proposal has gone out for the Core Services Review at City Hall…
The closing date for interested applicants to submit their bid is March 14th. Mayor Shari Green says the hope is to have the successful candidate selected and a contract signed by the end of March, with the consultant’s work to begin in April. A contingency budget of $350-thousand dollars for the review is included in this year’s general operating budget.
The review will look at an inventory of all city services; categorize them as legislated, core, contractual, or discretionary; and determine if there are areas where efficiencies can be gained. Mayor Green says the City’s employee groups will be consulted extensively, as part of the process.
"The internal communication and the internal participation is the most key and critical group in my mind to be working with," says Green. "The people who are actually doing the work on a day-to-day basis know how it’s done and what needs to be done and there’s probably some opportunities – they probably have some great ideas about some ways to do things better, or differently, or more cost-effectively."
The consultant’s work is expected to take five months, with a final report due in September. Green says she expects there will be some regular updates to City Council along the way about progress. "And if there’s some obvious ‘quick wins’ that we can manage and do sooner than the end of September that would be advice that would come to Council and we would make a decision at that time."
The Mayor says she doesn’t want to ‘pre-suppose’ the outcome of the review, but expects it will find some opportunities for the City to save money and provide some services more efficiently. She says, "I think it’s an important exercise to go through and I know it’s challenging for some people, but how can you get better if you don’t ask the question."
She points to the recent closure of the Community Policing Access Centre in the Hart as an example – the CPAC had an annual operating budget of $80-thousand dollars per year, but had just five people through the door in one month. Mayor Green says it’s a small example of the need to ask ‘Why do we do that?’, ‘Is it worth doing, or not’, and have an informed conversation.
To view the RFP, click here (select ‘browse for bid opportunities’, followed by ‘browse opportunities by organization’, then City of Prince George)
Comments
This is going to be an interesting ride!
“why do we do that? Is it worth doing or not?” And we have to have a $350,000.00 consultant’s fee to give us those answers why? Don’t the people who make the decisions to implement programs and other measures weigh whether they’re worth it before implementing them?
We just love to do studies. Its the ife blood of our politicians.And here is the other problem. They have washed the amount they expect to pay in public. So its asyre bet that thebids will come in at 350 M or even more.
Cheers
And if the budget had been kept secret the howl would go up that we need transparency and the public has a right to know!
Never tell someone how much money you are willing to spend before they quote you their rates. Thats just stupid.
Holy Cow! I thought it was already done! How many more can they fire? Spend a whole whack of money, when you have front line workers who can tell you where the money’s going. I just don’t get it……….
OH BOY!! Another door stop for City Hall!
Shari’s just pissing away taxpayer money and no doubt filling a supporter’s boots. They already know how much they are willing to pay and how long it will take? Why on earth would you show your hand???
Any bets a “Green friendly” consulting group will come along and just manage to squeak in with a 5-month bid for $348,000? Heck, maybe it’ll be Tim McEwan!! Nice work for him on top of his quarter-mill-plus a year salary for the last four years and some kind of secret severance!
I’m guessing that if a fully qualified consultant comes along and says they can do it all for $150,000 in four months, they won’t pick him/her. They already know whose pockets they want to fatten with PG citizens’ money; just have to go through the smoke and mirrors of an RFP for legal purposes.
I agree with your comment, Irri, that “the money is better spent bringing in an outside party”, although the main reason for going outside might have more to do with total impartiality and the APPEARANCE of impartiality. However are you aware of the number former employees of the city who may be out there considering themselves quite capable of conducting such a review?
I’d like to see all the receipts we get for that $350 thousand bucks. Itemized of course! And then we can do another study on how that amount of money could be better spent. And so on down the line to $29.95 cents for that the last consultant.
Will the report be made public or will council decide it is in the best interest of the public to not release the results. Once again the FOI act will be required and the city will have their lawyers in court to keep the report under wraps.
We vote in a new mayor and new coucillors but the public trust of these officials is limited at best.
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