Credit: Media News Group
Montgomery County officials are exploring contract cost-saving measures with a request for proposal issued last week.
The request for proposal executed on behalf of Montgomery County’s Office of Innovation, Strategy and Performance aimed to “enhance cost savings within the county’s contract management processes” was included among an eight-item package that was approved by county commissioners during an April 3 meeting as part of the “on the road” initiative at the Lower Merion Township building, located at 75 E. Lancaster Ave. in Ardmore.
Officials aim to retain a consultant tasked with identifying “short-term strategies that can yield measurable savings while maintaining service quality and contractual integrity.” Items such as “procurement optimization, contract renegotiation, process streamlining, and cost avoidance measures” were established as top priorities.
“This is just one proactive step in responsible financial stewardship, and it’s not just about saving money, but it’s making sure that we’re spending it wisely,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Neil Makhija.
Funding is expected to come from the county’s general-operational budget. Bids are due by 11:30 a.m. on May 6. Makhija stressed how this venture would take a deeper dive into contracts and possible opportunities for renegotiation as he touted the county office’s greater goals to “open up smarter ways of doing business, and it means making decisions based on data, and ensuring that every dollar goes further for our residents.”
“It’s not always a super splashy thing to talk about, the public procurement process, but it’s really important — especially now where there’s uncertainty over federal funding and other issues that may arise,” Makhija said.
Trail Junction Center
Also included in the unanimously authorized eight-item contract package was a bid issued on behalf of the Montgomery County Department of Assets and Infrastructure related to construction on the Trail Junction center in Norristown.
The scope of work on the county-owned facility located at 75 E. Lafayette St. encompassed “building and site renovations to provide services for trail users, flexible program and office space for county services, community meetings, events, and vendors,” the contract states. Funding is expected to come from the county’s capital improvement program. A submission deadline was not immediately available.
In other business, county commissioners unanimously authorized nearly $1.4 million in a series of contracts during the “on the road” meeting in Lower Merion Township.
An amendment to an existing contract took up the lion’s share of the seven-figure designation. The previously awarded software contract with OpenGov, of Redwood City, California, covered “support and maintenance” for the OpenGov Budgeting and Permitting, Licensing and Code Enforcement software platforms. The additional funds procured “Performance Management, Open Data and Enterprise Asset Management modules to the existing contract and will include software configuration, implementation and training.”
The contract amendment supplying the “supplemental module add-ons” will last three years, according to the contract, which is now valued at $1.65 million. Funding was obtained through American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
Another $165,000 was assigned to renew an existing contract between the Montgomery County Office of Voter Services and PNC Inc., of Claysburg, Blair County, for mailing services. This was listed as the fifth and final “annual renewal” term, with funds obtained from the county’s general-operational budget.
Additionally, a roughly $67,644 agreement between the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and the Maternity Care Coalition of Philadelphia engaged a maternal health care provider capacity consultant responsible for generating services “to improve birth outcomes among African Americans in Montgomery County.”
“The three focus areas include: increasing the use of allied health providers; providing targeted education about reproductive health and other related health topics; and increasing providers’ understanding of Black women’s experiences with the health care system surrounding pregnancy,” the contract states.
The Philadelphia-based organization was the sole respondent to a previously issued request for proposals. The contract took effect April 1 and will continue through June 30, 2026, with Pennsylvania Department of Health Title V Grant funding the initiative.
The next Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on April 17 on the eighth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede St. in Norristown. Those interested in attending the meeting can also do so virtually. Visit montgomerycountypa.gov for more information.
