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Momentum Firm updates DeKalb committee on implementation of Malden & Jenkins assessment; many recommendations deferred to 2027+
Summary
Momentum Firm presented progress on implementing the Malden & Jenkins operational assessment—~260 recommendations across 18–19 departments—reporting 59 recommendations met, 11 blocked and many items deferred to 2027 or beyond; commissioners pressed for cost estimates, CV360 support staff, and faster timelines.
The DeKalb County Finance, Audit & Budget Committee heard a quarterly implementation update from the Momentum Firm on work to carry out the Malden & Jenkins operational assessment, which contains more than 260 recommendations across roughly 18–19 departments.
Lisha Cece, managing principal of the Momentum Firm, told commissioners the contract (awarded last September) focuses on shepherding the assessment’s recommendations into implementable initiatives. She said the firm is prioritizing quick wins—high-impact, low-effort items—while tracking major projects that will require more support. "We laid out over 250 operational improvement activities across 19 departments," Cece said.
Current status: Across the county, Cece said 59 recommendations are reported as met, 11 are blocked, and about 123 require additional resources. For the three departments under FAB—finance, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and purchasing—39 recommendations include five met, one blocked and 30 that need more resources. Cece said most projected completion dates cluster in 2027 or later and that the Momentum Firm will re-engage departments in April to attempt to accelerate timelines ahead of a June quarterly update.
Key points and commissioner concerns: Commissioners pressed on several priorities during Q&A. Commissioner Michelle Longspeers asked whether deferring many items to 2027 was cause for concern; Cece said the timelines reflect projected completion dates and that many initiatives show active work in progress now, and pledged department-level follow up to seek acceleration where feasible. The committee highlighted a blocked recommendation to create business-analyst positions to resolve CV360 support issues; Cece said solutions could include adding staff, reclassifying vacancies or changing workflow, and that a path forward for that blocked item should be available after the next meeting.
Procurement and vendor evaluation: Commissioners urged prioritizing CB360 support and training and discussed a not-started recommendation (PCTR244) to automate vendor-evaluation forms that would autofill award and contract details and send reminder forms quarterly or twice yearly. Procurement staff said an existing manual process exists and supported an automation that would reduce manual emails while retaining reporting.
Funding and cost estimates: Of 14 recommendations flagged as requiring additional funding, Cece said over 13 do not yet have defined cost estimates. Commissioners urged departments to develop cost estimates during the April re-engagement so FAB can weigh funding requests during the midyear and 2027 budget process.
Next steps: Momentum Firm will continue to refine its implementation dashboard, pursue quarterly reporting granularity, and return in June with enhanced detail, including quarterly timelines and, where available, quantified cost savings and consolidated progress metrics.
