Jurisdictions across the country are working to transform supports for vulnerable children and families by creating a more prevention-focused, holistic, and accessible child welfare system. Key to this approach has been redirecting funds to voluntary, upstream services that can prevent poor outcomes for families before they occur. Unfortunately, however, these voluntary programs often struggle to attract and engage families most in need of their services. State and local government agencies face challenges allocating...
Four Jurisdictions to Receive Targeted Technical Assistance to Advance Alternative Emergency Responses
CAMBRIDGE, MA – The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) today announced four jurisdictions will participate in its 2022-2023 Alternative 911 Emergency Response Implementation Cohort, an initiative...
This Spring, GPL Fellow Hena Rafiq presented at the Texas Association of Pretrial Services Conference with pretrial expert and Harris County Pretrial Services (HCPS) Division Manager Janey Smith. Hena and Janey presented to pretrial practitioners from across Texas about their work with judges at HCPS to reduce the use of pretrial conditions such as drug testing and alcohol or electronic monitoring devices through step-downs. Step-down programs allow judges to regularly review the conditions under which defendants are placed upon being charged and make adjustments based on defendants’...
Certifying small, local, and diverse businesses can be an important step toward addressing disparities and increasing equity in government contract spending, but how you implement your certification program will determine whether you succeed. If certification programs are burdensome and confusing,... Read more about Strategies for Improving Vendor Certification Programs
If your government is looking for ways to help small, local, diverse firms receive their fair share of contracting dollars, unbundling large contracts, or breaking them apart into smaller scopes of work that multiple firms can bid on, is a great way to make contracting opportunities available to... Read more about Unbundling Large Contracts to Diversify Your Vendor Pool
Vendors, especially small and diverse businesses, find the RFP process overwhelming and bureaucratic. A new process that’s hard to understand often discourages these businesses from even applying. But that doesn’t have to be the case! An open, recorded webinar or live training on an RFP’s structure... Read more about Responding to Solicitations 101
State and local governments are responsible for contracting out many consequential products and services for residents – but historically, some communities have received disparate access to services and experienced disparities in outcomes which still persist today. To correct these disparities...
State and local governments are responsible for contracting out many consequential products and services for residents – but historically, some communities have received disparate access to services and experienced disparities in outcomes which still persist today. To correct these disparities...
Diagnosing bottlenecks in the procurement process, understanding where contract outcomes can be improved, and prioritizing systemic challenges require the kind of clarity provided by data. Procurement data is foundational to running an efficient, effective, proactive, and...
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. ...
In a commentary for Governing's Better, Faster, Cheaper blog, GPL Program Director Danielle Cerny describes how the GPL assisted Chicago's Department of Family and Support Services in using procurements and contracts as strategic tools to translate outcome goals into practice....
Secretary Ross Hunter, the Director of Washington’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), recently laid out the department’s plan for incorporating early childhood learning services into the child welfare system. DCYF is piloting projects at two sites to identify opportunities to strengthen connections to early learning resources for child welfare-involved families, which evidence suggests will help at-risk families develop protective factors and build resilience. Read his post...
The New Hampshire Union Leader wrote a piece covering the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ announcement of partnerships with two social service agencies to provide community-based voluntary services for at-risk children and families. Read the story, the...
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) shared a press release, announcing partnerships with two social service agencies to provide community-based voluntary services for at-risk children and families. Governor Chris Sununu said, “The announcement of these two partnerships, which will serve to provide voluntary services, is yet another step forward in ensuring we continue to meet that commitment and in ensuring support services are readily accessible to New Hampshire families directly within their communities.” Read the full...
The City of Portland worked with Harvard Kennedy School's Government Performance Lab to make practical changes to a critical procurement process, establishing a more strategic approach to technology contracting. Via video conference, city staff from Procurement Services and the Bureau of Technology Services Check share their experience applying results-driven contracting strategies to improve the City's technology procurement process.... Read more about City of Portland: Results-Driven Contracting for Technology
In early June, Project Leader for the GPL’s