Direction for Item 50

[Alison Alter]

Dear colleagues,

Tomorrow, I intend to offer direction to the City Manager to develop an additional communication method to notify Council of the issuance of major solicitations and contracts of large dollar value and/or high public interest, including those solicitations that would have been subject to the procurement method authorization now delegated to staff. I support delegating to staff the authority to determine when to use certain procurement methods; however, I also recognize the value of the earlier notice these procurement method agenda items provided to us.

I have been told that the Financial Services Department has developed and will soon implement a new Solicitation Forecast, including information on all upcoming City solicitations. I believe that in addition to this forecast and the normal solicitation notices provided to registered vendors, it would be beneficial for Council to be notified when certain major solicitations are published, inclusive of those solicitations subject to the delegation contained with Item 50 on our agenda.

My motion sheet will be distributed later today and added to back-up. You may read it here, as well: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 102511.pdf.

For now, staff have pulled this item. With the chair's consent, I welcome offering this direction for item 50 along with the consent agenda if that moves the meeting along faster.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Alison Alter