Pittsburgh City Council advances $340M in new on-call vendor contracts, a vendor review system, and a tree study after illegal cutting

Top Agenda Items

• $340 million in contracts for 96 vendors moves forward without department details
• A new review system might help the city weigh past performance before renewing a contract
• A half mile of trees illegally cut down along the Ohio Riverfront Trail leads to a two-year tree study

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$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.

A new review system might help the city weigh past performance before renewing a contract 🔗

When it comes to renewing contracts, the city currently can’t account for poorly completed services. 

The Office of the Mayor and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requested council’s approval to amend an existing memorandum of understanding with Partners for Public Good. It authorizes the nonprofit to assist in creating a performance-based review system for the city’s contracted vendors. 

“If you are a vendor that isn’t performing well, we should be considering that before we actually renew your contract,” said Deputy Chief Operating Officer Claris Chang.

Right now, Chang said, departments can send a complaint form to the procurement office if a vendor isn’t upholding the terms of agreement, but there isn’t a uniform process for addressing poor work. 

Council Member Bob Charland of the South Side, presented an example of that: one of the contractors for the Oliver Bath House renovation installed the wrong door. 

OMB sourcing specialist Jacob Goldmann said clear performance criteria would tell vendors, “We have this expectation. This is what you need to fulfill. You need to fulfill your contract. These are the checks and balances in place to make sure that you do.” 

Council agreed to move forward with the amendment, which comes at no cost to the city.

A half mile of trees illegally cut down along the Ohio Riverfront Trail leads to a two-year tree study 🔗 🔗

The city is planning to spend more than $4,000 to count city trees that were cut down by a property owner in order to determine the restitution needed.

The Department of Public Works requested $11,910 for the Davey Resource Group to conduct tree inventories on the Ohio Riverfront Trail and Arsenal Park over the next two years.

Utility arborist Michael Kelley said during the Oct. 7 committee meeting that the inventory along the Ohio Riverfront Trail is the result of “willful destruction” by an unnamed resident who owns adjacent property. 

“He took out about a half mile of trees without authorization on public land and dumped a good portion of the material into the river,” said Kelley. He said that the trees were neither tall enough to hit, nor capable of falling in the direction of nearby structures.

City forester Lisa Ceoffe said, “It’s devastating, actually.” 

The resident received a violation for illegal dumping into the river. In order to receive restitution to restore the corridor, the city now needs an independent arborist study, Ceoffe said. 

She also said that Lawrenceville Together requested the inventory for Arsenal Park. The park has some older trees that are in decline, and the intention is to determine which can be saved and where the organization could plant new trees. 

Council agreed to move forward with both requests.