Proactive Procurement : Using New York City's Procurement Rules to Foster Positive Human Services Policies and Serve Public Goals

This article examines recent developments in human services contracting in New York City that, while using elements of the marketplace model, place greater focus on the core public service goals of serving communities most in need with quality and cost-effective programs. It focuses on the goals of improving substantive quality and equity in the distribution of such programs and examines the degree to which changes in the human services procurement process to address these goals might also address broader structural and procedural issues in the context of privatization of government services generally