Agenda - Council - 03/24/1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ISSUES IN CONTRACflNG FOR PUBLIC SERVICES FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR contracting for public se~dce fro~a the private sector-an arrangement that h~s ~ lot of oppor-' tunity and advantages but at the ~a~ne time many pitfalls for local government. Contracting c~n cover- almost any service traditionally provided by local gov- ernments. Indeed, the range of conuacts h~ ~xistence today, and the ways in which they are implemented and - administered, provides a sample of whvt ~a-vices are being contracted to the private ~ector: · Carlisle, Pennsylvazia contracts for re~ddential solid waste collection, snow plowing, traffic ~4gnal instaIla. tion, parking mete~ maintenance, Uee trimming, inspection/code enforcement, vehicle to~ and star- age, animal control, building and gmtmdz mainte- nance, legal service, and labor relations. · San loaquin County, California contra~ for services in 33 different areas, · The city of San Diego established a privstc, nonprofit corporation to provide data processing support for the city; it provides flexibility in hiring and retaining personnel and purchasing equipment. · New Rochelle. New York has substantial contracting in areas such as public works, vehicl~ towing and storage, recreation facilities, park landscaping, and other support functions. · Tulsa, and other cities with solid waste ~,ollcction con- tracts, pcnaliT¢ collectors through a chaise system for missed collections nlld spillage. · Charlottesville, Virginia utilizes nonprofit organiza- tions extensively for contracting work. This month's report was prepared by Donald Fisk. Mr, Fisk is an independent consultant working in state and local government productivity issue~, He was for- inertly with The Urban Institute, Rand Co~ra!ion, and the County of ~an Diego. He is coauthor of the book Private Provision of Public Service: An ~vervicw, pub- lished by The Urban 'Institute. Contrn__~._ns is becomi~ a more popular option for local governments to~n~ to pro-Adc an tdequnte level of public service with · revenue base that can't seem to keep up. Contracti%. ma)' be entered into by · local $overn. meat in an attempt to reduce costs, or improve service or effectiveness. While contractin~ out services by local governments is increasingly popular, many local ~overnment officials and the ~mifications of interrupted service. This report ts designed to be a broad look atthe most important issues in contractlns~ the cri'teria a local Soy- eminent should use in evaluating their need for con- tracting, with an overview of the factors affecting the use of contracting. The report is concluded with a list of questions to ask when studyin~ the posa'bility of con- tracting a service. This report is not intended to be a specific "how-to" lesson in settin~ up a specific type of service contracting. It is intended as a critical look at the ixsues involved in contracting, and should serve as a reminder to local government officials of all the important