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Procurement office says disparity‑study recommendations will need data work; deputy CPO vacancy flagged as key
Summary
At the June 18 finance hearing the city’s procurement chief said staff are evaluating recommendations from a recently completed disparity study and plan to use existing resources where possible while identifying data and staffing needs, including filling a vacant deputy chief procurement officer post.
Angela Allen, Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) for the City of Somerville, told the Finance Committee on June 18 that the procurement office is actively evaluating recommendations from a recently completed disparity study and determining which items can be implemented with existing staff and which will require additional resources.
“We've been actively, evaluating the recommendations to determine what we can do with existing resources, existing staffing, existing level service budget, and what may require more,” Allen said. She told the committee that filling the recently vacated deputy CPO position is a priority because that role is central to data work and supplier diversity implementation.
Allen said some actions can be taken within the current staffing and budget envelope, such as updating a twice‑annual buying plan that forecasts opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and local suppliers. But she described the longer‑term recommendations as a cross‑departmental effort that will require data integration across City departments (including IT, OSPCD and others) and potential system upgrades.
Allen said her team is meeting with procurement and supplier diversity staff in other Massachusetts cities — including Boston and Cambridge — to learn how they implemented disparity‑study recommendations. The committee asked for periodic updates as Allen and other departments move from recommendation analysis to operational changes.
No committee votes were taken on procurement budget lines. Councilors noted support for acting promptly so the study’s recommendations do not remain on a shelf.
