City Non-Profit Contracting Task Force

Citywide Nonprofit Contract Taskforce- Monitoring Subcommittee

Purpose: A Citywide Nonprofit Contracting Taskforce has been established by the Board of Supervisor. The basic goal of the Taskforce is to standardize, simplify and streamline the contracting process both between City Departments and within divisions. Monitoring is an integral part of the contractual relationship between city government and non-profit agencies. The fundamental purpose of monitoring is to ensure fiscal and programmatic accountability and compliance with the goal of achieving the highest level of quality of care through partnership between both parties.

The goal of the committee was to review monitoring practices and identify methods for refining and improving processes. The subcommittee defines "monitoring" as the whole process by which a city agency evaluates a community-based organization: both quantitatively, qualitatively, programmatically and fiscally.

In the course of our review, we found the following to be true:

_ Need for standardization of forms between departments or department sections

_ Need for standardization of terminology

_ Need for prioritization of monitoring review practices within each department

_ Need for clearly established timelines and deadlines for both sides related to the monitoring process

_ Need for elimination of redundancy and duplication of effort for both parties (monitoring, data collection, reporting between and within departments)

_ Need for ongoing support of qualified monitors- need clear and consistent level of supervision, adequate training and creation of a code of conduct

_ Need for formal procedure to solicit feedback from agencies on monitoring relationship

_ Need for development of on-going partnership through improved communication, technical assistance and quality assurance

_ Need for access to department resources, both monetary and intellectual property, based on need for agency intervention and specific skills-based allocation of department personnel

Based on our review, the Monitoring Subcommittee has the following recommendations:

1. One joint program monitoring visit per year per contract coordinated by lead City Department with 14 days timely written notice and a timely written report back within 30 days, if possible, but not beyond 90 days.

2. Coordinate citywide response for agencies requiring technical assistance and create a formal methodology to identify technical resources with Departments.

3. Risk assessment of programs or agencies should be conducted by auditing or monitoring the agency in an appropriate fashion including but not limited to performance, financial stability, staff turnover, and leadership contract longevity and audit findings.

4. Standard monitoring protocol, language and definitions, should be developed in advance with providers for purposed of improving contracts will be distributed at the time of contract execution.

5. Training for monitoring to ensure adequate knowledge and understanding of program and services prior to monitoring