Committee forwards $204,000 oversight agreement for Norwalk permitting software to full council
February 06, 2026 | Norwalk City, Fairfield, Connecticut
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The Norwalk Economic & Community Development Committee on Feb. 5 voted to forward to the full council a request that Mayor Barbara C. Smith execute an agreement with Barry Dunn McNeil and Parker LLC for implementation oversight of the city’s new community-development permitting software, in an amount not to exceed $204,000.
City staff told the committee the consultant firm helped the city design workflows, run the request-for-proposal process and evaluate vendors, and staff said retaining that institutional knowledge during implementation would reduce risk as the city migrates to the new Mainstar permitting system.
"Our role, in this ongoing process would be to provide oversight over the services that Mainstar provides, making sure that there are key business improvements that go along with the technology improvements," said Joseph Bershawn, senior consultant with Barry Dunn, outlining the firm’s proposed responsibilities during an implementation period the firm estimated would last about 12 months.
Council members pressed on staffing and budgeted consultant hours. "It looks like you're gonna allocate about 70 hours a month to this job. Is that gonna be enough coverage?" Councilmember Jim Frayer asked. Bershawn replied that 70–80 hours per month is consistent with comparable projects and is intended for first-line quality review of vendor deliverables.
Staff and consultants also described a phased rollout: some permitting functions could come online within about six months, with the full site operational in roughly 12 months. Sabrina (city staff) and others emphasized the value of continuity: Barry Dunn helped the city map internal processes and would act as an intermediary between Mainstar and multiple city departments during migration.
Chair Josh Goldstein called the question and the committee voted to advance the item to the full council; the chair said the motion passed unanimously among those voting.
The item will next appear on the full City Council agenda for final authorization; the committee’s action was to forward the proposed contract for council consideration.
City staff told the committee the consultant firm helped the city design workflows, run the request-for-proposal process and evaluate vendors, and staff said retaining that institutional knowledge during implementation would reduce risk as the city migrates to the new Mainstar permitting system.
"Our role, in this ongoing process would be to provide oversight over the services that Mainstar provides, making sure that there are key business improvements that go along with the technology improvements," said Joseph Bershawn, senior consultant with Barry Dunn, outlining the firm’s proposed responsibilities during an implementation period the firm estimated would last about 12 months.
Council members pressed on staffing and budgeted consultant hours. "It looks like you're gonna allocate about 70 hours a month to this job. Is that gonna be enough coverage?" Councilmember Jim Frayer asked. Bershawn replied that 70–80 hours per month is consistent with comparable projects and is intended for first-line quality review of vendor deliverables.
Staff and consultants also described a phased rollout: some permitting functions could come online within about six months, with the full site operational in roughly 12 months. Sabrina (city staff) and others emphasized the value of continuity: Barry Dunn helped the city map internal processes and would act as an intermediary between Mainstar and multiple city departments during migration.
Chair Josh Goldstein called the question and the committee voted to advance the item to the full council; the chair said the motion passed unanimously among those voting.
The item will next appear on the full City Council agenda for final authorization; the committee’s action was to forward the proposed contract for council consideration.
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