Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal‑finance,purchasing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Purchasing Department budget stays largely flat; DocuSign contract, ARPA-funded post drawn questions
Summary
New Bedford’s purchasing department presented a nearly level FY26 budget with one fewer position (an ARPA-funded role), ongoing DocuSign subscription costs and four general‑fund employees. Councilors pressed the department on DocuSign users, school procurement overlap and the duration of ARPA funding for an assistant procurement officer.
The New Bedford Purchasing Department told the City Council on May 21 that its FY26 budget is essentially level with FY25 and includes one fewer position because an ARPA-funded role remains vacant.
Director Molly Gilfeather Rodriguez said the department’s general‑fund staffing will total four full‑time employees in FY26 and that most of the department’s operating budget is salaries plus an annual DocuSign contract to circulate electronic agreements. “Other than that, our budget is really just our salaries and DocuSign,” Rodriguez said.
Councilor Lopes asked about a rise in the department’s purchase‑of‑services line, noting an increase tied to DocuSign. Rodriguez confirmed the rise was contractual and that the purchasing office bears the full cost of the subscription; other city departments use it under that subscription and the School Department maintains its own contract.
Councilor Mora reported he was reading questions for Councilor Perera and asked whether the purchasing office shares the DocuSign subscription with other departments and for a list of those departments. Rodriguez said the school has its own subscription and that she would provide a list of other departments that utilize the purchasing office’s subscription.
Councilors also pressed Rodriguez and CFO Bob Ekstrom about an ARPA‑funded assistant procurement officer. Rodriguez confirmed one assistant procurement officer position remains supported by ARPA and is in active use by the department. Ekstrom said ARPA obligations had to be committed by Dec. 31, 2024, and forecast the ARPA funds for that position would likely run out in the third quarter of 2026 unless other re‑obligations were made; he said December 2026 would be an optimistic endpoint if funding held.
Councilors asked whether the School Department might move its procurement officer to report to city purchasing to increase cross‑use of staff; both Rodriguez and Ekstrom said consolidation of services has been discussed in general terms but not specifically for procurement, and that school payroll conversations had shown specific operational needs that made immediate consolidation difficult.
Rodriguez closed by saying purchasing is handling “tens of millions of dollars more in contracts and in the bidding process than we ever have,” and that the department needs its existing positions to sustain that volume.
Ending: Councilors asked the department to provide a listing of DocuSign users and to follow up with the School Department and CFO about options to fund or consolidate procurement roles. The purchasing overview was followed by the next departmental presentation.
