Procurement Process Improvement

At a glance

Based on human-uploaded captions that may contain errors.

What: a year-long effort to speed up city purchasing, run by the Purchasing Division of the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services with consultant Barry Dunn.
Where it stands: report only. Ten added staff are hired, training is rolling out, and an 18-month action plan is under way.
Next: internal performance indicators and a technology needs assessment (contract lifecycle management, e-procurement, possibly ERP changes).

Started in 2024 when Mayor Rick Blangiardi challenged the centralized purchasing division, which serves over 20 departments.
Wins so far: higher small-purchase threshold, more master agreements, a contract-extension look-ahead portal credited to Carrie Castle, a planned one-stop shop and a training catalog.
Consultants documented 72 challenges from six departments, reduced to 25, with four priorities: training, accountability, visibility (KPIs) and technology.
Radiant Cordero pressed on departments outside the working group and on repeat bids; Matt Weyer asked about hiring and master agreements.
Staff cited a design and construction pilot (five contractors per need, five-year terms) and cooperative purchasing through a Washington State agreement for buses and handi-vans.

2026-10-22 - Government Efficiency & Customer Services - Purchasing Division and consultants briefed the committee on the improvement project and answered questions from Cordero and Weyer; no testimony.
2026-10-27 - 2026-10-22 - Government Efficiency & Customer Services: agenda identifies the consultant as Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker; minutes not yet posted.