Department of Procurement Services – BGA Policy 2026 Budget Snapshot

Departmental Highlights

Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2025 Budget

• DPS was one of the few non-ARPA funded departments to see significant budget increases in recent years. Overall appropriations have stayed close to a 2024 high, with this year's proposal up a very slight 0.1% increase on the previous year.
• Year-over-year changes from the previous budget are relatively minimal for DPS, with a roughly $121,000 increase in salaries and wages the largest single-appropriation increase and a decline of roughly $56,000 in IT maintenance costs the largest cut.
• DPS headcount is down four positions overall, with five Field Analyst proposals eliminated (removing the title from the department's budget entirely) and one Procurement Specification Writer added.

Historical Context

The Department of Procurement Services's budget increased significantly from 2021-2024, rising from $8.5 million in 2021 to a high of $14.6 million in 2024. DPS was one of only a small number of non-ARPA funded departments to see a dramatic increase over this period. Reductions in the 2025 budget began to reduce that trend, though still leaving the department at substantially higher funding and headcount levels than pre-pandemic. The current budget proposal holds relatively steady from the previous year, with a very slight 0.1% increase in total appropriations.

From 2011-2025, appropriations at DPS increased at an annual average rate of 10.2%, or 7% adjusted for inflation, compared to a citywide average rate of 8.3% (inflation-adjusted 4.4%).

Over the past three complete budget years for which local fund actuals/encumbrances data is available, DPS spent on average 74.2% of its locally funded budget, compared to the citywide average 86.4% local fund spend.

Staffing levels at DPS have increased in recent years, with an average annual rate of change from 2011-2025 of 5.1% compared to a citywide average annual change of -0.1%.

From February through September of 2025, the months for which the city released full-time position vacancy data, DPS averaged a 24.2% vacancy rate, compared to the citywide average of 11.2%.

14 of the department's budgeted full-time positions were persistent vacancies, meaning that the same title/division/section/subsection combination was vacant for all eight months of available data.

Staffing

DPS headcount is down four positions overall, with five Field Analyst proposals eliminated (removing the title from the department's budget entirely) and one Procurement Specification Writer added.

Appropriations

As in the previous year's budget, DPS is entirely locally-funded in the 2026 budget proposal.

Like most departments that provide services or oversight to a wide range of other city departments, DPS draws on multiple local funds. The bulk of DPS's 2026 appropriations are drawn from the corporate fund, but the department's budget includes airport, water, and vehicle fund appropriations as well.

Largest Appropriations

As with most departments, personnel costs make up the bulk of DPS's appropriations, with salaries and wages on payroll by far the largest expense category.

In 2024, the most recent complete budget year for which local fund actuals and encumbrances data is available, DPS spent 72.6% of its locally-funded budget. The department did not go over budget in any of the appropriations categories used by the Department of Finance in its actuals and encumbrances datasets.

Change from Previous Year

Year-over-year changes from the previous budget are relatively minimal for DPS, with a roughly $121,000 increase in salaries and wages the largest single-appropriation increase and a decline of roughly $56,000 in IT maintenance costs the largest cut.

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