HSC is the sector’s lead advocate for government contract reform.   Working with government, HSC helps to shape procurement policies while also providing guidance to member agencies on the continuously evolving and often confusing procurement process.

Led by our Contract Reform Committee, HSC advocates for procurement reform, legislative initiatives by the City Council, regulatory relief by the Procurement Policy Board, and changes in policy and procedure by the Mayor's Office of Contract Services, to save providers significant money and time.

HSC’s leadership has resulted in significant human service contracting reforms.

Among these reforms are:

• • Interest penalties for providers when contracts are registered late.
  
  
• • Expanded eligibility of the City’s no-interest loans to providers affected by late contracting actions.
  
  
• • An expansion of the information published each year in the Human Services Plan so providers can get maximum notice of upcoming procurement opportunities.
  
  
• • Electronic posting of the full text of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) along with other contract opportunities.
  
  
• • Publication of a “concept report” before releasing an RFP for a new or restructured program so that interested providers can comment on the program design.
  
  
• • Centralized access to concept reports through the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services’ website.
  
  
• • Vendor Information Exchange System (VENDEX) process amendments to eliminate the need for repetitive filings.
  
  
• • “Vendor rehabilitation” to allow providers to clear their name in the event that a caution entry in the VENDEX system adversely impacts their ability to receive contracts.

These new reforms demand an effective training program.  To meet this need, HSC provides training sessions to its members on various topics related to procurement.  These have included “How to Get a City Contract,” “Vendor Rehabilitation,” “NYS Procurement Lobbying Guidelines,” “NYS Vendor Responsibility Questionnaires,” and "The Road to Paperless Procurement: The City's New End-to-End Automated Procurement Initiative."

In addition to advocating for systemic improvements, HSC has created an innovative service to provide one-on-one answers to questions and guidance in navigating the procurement process. HSC members can contact a prominent expert in City procurement for individual attention to their contracting questions.  To date, HSC member agencies have received assistance with payment problems, Vendex cautions, RFP interpretation, and more.