Too often, contracting is seen as a back-office function, even though many government programs are actually implemented with contracted service providers. In reality, contracting — and contracting reforms — can be a key driver of better results in human services, including for the most vulnerable families and individuals.
We discuss specific steps in results-driven contracting with Lisa Morrison Butler, the former Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) and now the Executive Vice President and Chief Impact Officer at Results for America. She served as Commissioner of DFSS — the largest funder of human and social services in the city — for more than five years across two mayoral administrations. Under her leadership, she led an organizational transformation aimed at achieving greater overall impact, including overhauling the department’s approach to contracting.
The five main steps in DFSS’s path to results-driven contracting that we discuss are:
- Build consensus around the need for change related to contracting.
- Choose a pilot division.
- Develop a calendar to roll out reform across the department.
- Build clear goals and new expectations into each new RFP, among participating divisions.
- Adopt active contract management, including developing learning cohorts that met quarterly.
Learn more:
- To hear other Gov Innovator podcast interviews on results-driven contracting, click this link.
- Read Lisa’s “Innovator Interview” with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Government Performance Lab on her efforts to improve outcomes at Chicago’s DFSS.