tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30130444.post8308775564059174241..comments2024-02-16T09:00:32.845-06:00Comments on FromDC2Iowa: Do Iowa's School Districts Need Consultants?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30130444.post-91491047575411686952016-06-25T16:29:54.284-05:002016-06-25T16:29:54.284-05:00Notice Regarding Advertising: This blog runs an op...<b>Notice Regarding Advertising:</b> This blog runs an open comments section. All comments related to the content of blog entries have (so far) remained posted, regardless of how critical. Although I would prefer that those posting comments identify themselves, anonymous comments are also accepted.<br /><br />The only limitation is that comments unrelated to the essay, such as advertising posing as comments, or with links to unrelated sites, will be removed. That is why one or more of the comments posted on this blog entry are no longer here.<br /><br />-- NickNickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08467682953748756539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30130444.post-28331981144523977882012-10-28T10:09:52.865-05:002012-10-28T10:09:52.865-05:00Nick, you asked, "And what do they want these...Nick, you asked, "And what do they want these consultants to do? Why does the board think it needs them?"<br />Consultants make sense, when they can efficiently deliver a large amount of information in a short time as opposed to it taking one person or two or 20 a very long time to do. I am for creating as many living-wage ICCSD jobs as possible but only when it makes fiscal sense to do it that way. <br />The University does deliver some numbers to the district on which we have based much, but it's just one guy and he's pretty much counting with sticks and rocks compared to a consulting form that can deliver a system to us that allows us to run many different scenarios very quickly. <br />I did a custodial staffing report at UCSF (yes me) and it took me about a year to get through every room of the large 14 story tall Med Science building. They could have paid a consulting firm the same amount as they did me and had the information in a matter of a few days to a week. <br />Not that this district hasn't wasted money on consultants - RSP was a 160,000? and provided NOTHING USEFUL. They were exactly the kind of consultants you describe above and the board was using them as a decoy to take the heat for the planning and decisions they needed to make themselves and never really did.<br />This RFP is different. They are not contracting out the decisions. They are buying the tools to quickly get a full picture of every person and asset and room in the district. They are buying the base they need and have needed and will need to be able to make better informed decisions. <br />Synesi's audit was an excellent example of cost-effective use of consultants and we got many times what they cost back in the resignations of Pedersen, Bobek, and Schultz. Synesi's work stopped unimaginable waste of money, assets, and good people. <br />I'll watch the RFP carefully...we still need to watch our investment in consultants vigilantly to make sure we're not taking away a living wage job that could do a task more effectively than consultants.<br />UPDATE 10/4/12: Please view the updated RFP, available at the link below.<br />http://www.edline.net/pages/ICCSD/Departments/Information_Services/RFPs<br /> <br /><br />The Iowa City Community School District intends to procure services for facility master planning, including evaluation of building capacity, total cost of ownership, educational suitability, and management of fixed assets.<br /><br /> <br /><br />RFP available at http://tinyurl.com/ICCSDRFPs (see RFP 13003)<br /><br /> <br /><br />Proposals due 10/24/12 at 2:00 PM CTJulie VanDykenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30130444.post-34717266836101059232012-10-17T09:05:25.704-05:002012-10-17T09:05:25.704-05:00Advertising NoticeNotice Regarding Advertising: Th...<b>Advertising Notice</b><br><br><b>Notice Regarding Advertising:</b> This blog runs an open comments section. All comments related to blog entries have (so far) remained posted, regardless of how critical. Although I would prefer that those posting comments identify themselves, anonymous comments are also accepted.<br><br>The only limitation is that advertising posing as comments will be removed. That is why one or more of the comments posted on this blog entry, containing links to businesses, have been deleted.<br>-- Nick<br><br>Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08467682953748756539noreply@blogger.com