Code for America Summit Pre-Event: How procurement innovation is creating better social services

Social safety net programs, such as unemployment insurance, medicare, and food assistance, are often failing those who need them the most. Eligible individuals face cumbersome processes as they even attempt to access this support, and then often receive substandard service delivery—leading to reduced wellbeing and millions of taxpayer dollars wasted on failed implementation. 

To change this, we need to reimagine how we design and deliver our social services. We believe that procurement—how government agencies partner with private and non-profit organizations to provide public services—is the key to transformation. Procurement, when done right, enables governments to understand what the market can offer in terms of technology, service delivery, and impact measurement. Procurement can facilitate partnerships and human-centered approaches that lead to more equitable, holistic, and effective solutions for all.

Open Contracting Partnership and Code for America invite you to a conversation with practitioners who are changing the status quo of social service delivery. Together, we will discuss how U.S. cities and states can use contracting reforms and collaboration to deliver on their social agendas. We will showcase reformers who are leading the way in navigating the world of ARPA funding, procurement policies, and technology requirements, to serve their most vulnerable residents with dignity. You’ll get the chance to hear from civil servants improving public health access and digital service delivery in Colorado, CFA representatives who are leading their new Safety Net Innovation Lab, experts from New America DIGI who are synthesizing solutions in public procurement, and much more.

We will follow up this panel conversation with a networking hour from 5-7pm, and we hope you can join us!

This is a pre-event to the 2022 CFA Summit and part of the 2022 OGP Open Gov Week. This will be hosted in-person at the Open Gov Hub in Washington, D.C., and proof of vaccination is required for all attendees. Masks are optional.