Megan Toohey is the Managing Director of Children and Families at the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL), where she leads a team...
On September 29, the DC Water and Sewer Authority issued the nation’s first Environmental Impact Bond. This $25 million bond issuance funded the initial green infrastructure installation in DC Water’s Clean Rivers Project – a project that aims to reduce combined sewage overflows (CSOs) into the Anacostia River, Potomac River, and Rock Creek tributaries. ...
The DC Water and Sewer Authority closed on a historic deal this week, issuing the nation's first Environmental Impact Bond to fund the initial green infrastructure project in its DC Clean Rivers Project. Read more coverage in Bond Buyer magazine.
Writing a Request for Proposals (RFP) can feel daunting. As you face an upcoming need for goods or services, you may be tempted to fall back on a previously issued version of an RFP, simply mimic what a peer city or state has done, or renew an existing contract - even though you know you could...
Government employees often fear that collaborating with prospective vendors or outside stakeholders crosses over a legal line and creates an unfair advantage. However, it is generally acceptable to communicate with potential vendors in a fair and open way before a formal solicitation has been...
The decision what to buy and who to buy it from is a pivotal moment in any procurement. For public officials, deciding who to contract with for a big, long-term project can feel akin to buying your first new car, committing to a house, or choosing your...
In 2014, California passed a bill authorizing the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) to grant $5 million dollars to up to three counties to launch outcomes-driven recidivism reduction projects. With pro-bono technical assistance from the GPL, BSCC designed and implemented a competitive process to select county projects that would reduce recidivism while shaping a new model for how local governments deliver programming - focusing on tracking and using data effectively, reducing traditional siloes within...
In Illinois, approximately 700 youth per year become simultaneously involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. These dually-involved youth experience very poor outcomes; on average 1,300 arrests per year and 230,000 days spent in congregate care. With pro-bono technical assistance from the GPL, the state tested a new model for supporting families involved with multiple agencies and has re-engineered data systems to improve performance management and referral processes. It now takes the state child welfare agency less than three days to identify a dually-involved youth,...
As part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities initiative, the GPL provided pro bono technical assistance to help Indianapolis increase competition, reduce costs, improve service quality, and enhance the City’s information technology (IT) capabilities by adopting results-driven contracting strategies for its IT application services contracts.
The Government Performance Lab is using results-driven contracting strategies to enhance IT capacity in local government. In Indianapolis, the city sought to improve the performance and value for money of its...
As part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities initiative, the GPL provided pro bono technical assistance to help Little Rock adopt results-driven contracting strategies across its entire procurement portfolio, improving consistency, vendor management, and data usage throughout the City.
Little Rock aimed to reform its entire procurement portfolio and to improve the city’s procurement process. With pro-bono technical assistance from the GPL, a new outcomes-focused procurement template was designed based on in-depth interviews, and...
The GPL is assisting the State of Illinois improve employment outcomes for individuals exiting incarceration by reforming in-facility vocational programming at the Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center. Former Illinois legislator Jim Nowlan writes about his experience attending a Kewanee graduation ceremony and meeting program graduates. ... Read more about The Dispatch & The Rock Island Argus: Offenders trying to break into this prison
“Just referring a family to services isn’t always enough. There need to be more intentional efforts to ensure that the families ultimately get connected with those agencies,” said Trista Piccola, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, & Families (DCYF). The GPL worked with DCYF and the Rhode Island Department of Health to create a plan for reducing child fatalities and near-fatalities due to neglect or maltreatment. Read more about our recommendations ...
In her latest commentary for Governing’s Better, Faster, Cheaper blog, Program Director Hanna Azemati describes the GPL’s work with the city of Louisville, KY to establish a strategic procurement system. According to Louisville’s director of purchasing, this system has helped the city “elevate the importance of procurement, build trust, and earn credibility” by prioritizing, structuring, evaluating, and managing critical contracts more effectively. ...