Spencer Gurley-Green

Organization

Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston

Program

Rappaport Public Finance Fellow

Year

2020

Links

Greater Boston Applied Field Lab Summary of Activities 2019 - 2020

This Rappaport Public Finance Summer Fellowship provides a stipend to students who undertake a project related to public finance. Traditionally these projects have been a continuation of work conducted in Greater Boston Applied Field Lab: Advanced Budgeting, Financial Management and Operations lab offered by Professor Linda Bilmes.

Graduate School
Harvard Kennedy School

Mentor
Stephanie Hirsch, Consultant

Placement
City of Somerville, MA

Supervisor
Angela Allen, Somerville Director of Purchasing

Project Description
The purpose of the fellowship was to evaluate e-signature software options and make a recommendation. Specifically, Spencer evaluated software that could allow for moving either some or all of Somerville’s purchasing department signature requirement workflow from paper-based to electronic-only. After evaluating several options, the fellow determined that software already purchased by the city (but currently underutilized) would meet all of the department’s requirements. After a series of tests and meetings with relevant staff, he concluded the fellowship with a software demo for purchasing staff.