$340 million in contracts for 96 vendors moves forward without department details.

Even as the spotlight shines brightly on city spending, Pittsburgh City Council remains inconsistent with addressing requests that lack specificity.

During the Oct. 7 committee meeting, council agreed to move forward with three requests from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) totaling over $340 million in spending across three years. However, the requests do not provide a complete picture for the use of the funds. 

The preliminary approval is in contrast with a recent, initial decision not to renew a $50,000 membership with Vibrant Pittsburgh due to lack of information. Council has since paused its final vote on the matter until after an Oct. 13 meeting with the organization.

Two of OMB’s requests extend $340 million in three-year open-ended contracts to 96 vendors for on-call professional services. Forty-eight of the new vendors can provide up to $1.5 million in services per year and 48 up to $750,000 per year. 

In March 2025, Council Member Bob Charland of the South Side called to question the practice of requesting open-ended service agreements without naming the contracting vendors. 

During the Oct. 7 meeting, Council Member Barb Warwick of Greenfield noted that the current legislation names the vendors but does not include the related departments or why the contractors are needed.

Jessica Nusser, OMB’s senior sourcing specialist, said she could provide the information to council and include it in future requests.

Typically, additional information sent to council does not make it onto the public record. 

The third request would provide a $150,000 match for a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Economic Development’s Municipal Assistance Program. According to the legislation, the funds would be used to overhaul the city’s zoning code and zoning map to remove restrictive barriers.

No one from OMB or the Department of City Planning who could speak to the request was present at the meeting. 

“It’s not a big deal,” said Council Member Bobby Wilson of Spring Hill. “I’ll just ask throughout the week.” 

Council Member Erika Strassburger of Squirrel Hill North said she would like to receive the information in writing ahead of the final vote scheduled for Oct. 13.