Jules Lefcowitz, Principal, of Community Planners has been involved with Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) since 1987…and believes that creating/sustaining these valuable community resources is important and necessary work.
Like our work with condominiums and cooperatives, Community Planners works primarily in the areas of Facility Planning, Capital Improvements, and Program Administration.
Community Planners brings a “cradle to grave” approach to most of our work with PHAs. That is, we provide the full continuum of services – Facility Planning, Project Planning, Project Design, Project Bidding, Project Management, Project Administration, and Public Outreach – to our projects.
There is no small amount of federal process involved in any public housing business activity…particularly when it comes to high profile and high cost initiatives. Far too often, process is used as an excuse to make unfortunate compromises concerning bidding work in a timely way as well as the quality/value proposition that is at the core of good purchasing.
At Community Planners, we embrace the federal process as a way to develop rigorous and reasonable project standards. We use federal project protocols as a way to improve projects standards, streamline business process for the PHA and contractor; and, provide the necessary tools staff needs to administer the work.
PHAs across the country have for far too long outsourced work to specialized consultants on an ala carte basis…which is a very expensive way to buy this help.
Community Planners has advocated the idea that the generalist – a consultant that provides and manages a team with a range of PHA operational knowledge and experience – provides lower cost and more value to an authority seeking to outsource tasks to services providers. This approach also provides much needed flexibility when addressing our ever changing regulatory and business climate.
This idea is a key part of our approach to Facility Planning and Capital Improvement service delivery to our clients.
PHAs are becoming more business savvy. In a world of shrinking operating and capital improvement subsidies, this is not simply a good thing…it is essential.
To that end, Community Planners has developed methods for reducing the costs of project oversight and administration by making consultants/contractors accountable for demonstrating contract compliance in unequivocal ways. There is no reason PHAs should pay twice for
this work.
In addition, we are committed to providing buying choices to our PHA clients in order that they can identify best value as well as maximize the existing funding resources at their disposal.
Accountability and Choice are the hallmark of all Community Planners projects.