Voters approve ballot question to change how city issues contracts

Voters on Tuesday approved two edits to the city's Home Rule Charter.

One will create a city commission to coordinate redevelopment efforts among public, private and nonprofit partners. The other will change how the city contracts for goods and services, shifting the standard from the "lowest responsible bidder" to the "best value."

"This is going to allow the city on the more complex projects or contracting opportunities to look at things such as, did the vendor deliver on time? On budget?" Christine Derenick-Lopez, the city's chief administrative officer, said of the best-value ballot question.

Based on partial election returns, the results for both questions showed robust support.

The Kenney administration has said moving to a best-value procurement system would improve efficiency and allow more flexibility in hitting diversity goals. Officials have also said it is a national best practice used by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the federal government, and 18 of the nation's 20 largest cities.

Critics have said the change opens the door to favoritism being a factor in the bidding process, something the Kenney administration has said the city's tough ethics laws will safeguard against.

The other charter change, proposed by Council President Darrell L. Clarke, will create the Philadelphia Community Reinvestment Commission.

Clarke has said the commission would be tasked with creating an overall strategy for community revitalization and pooling resources across the public, private and nonprofit sectors, something he said is lacking.