DEPARTMENT: Economic Development
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Rene Dominguez
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S) IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT: An Ordinance adopting a new Five-Year Diversity Action Plan to increase City contract opportunities and promote the growth of local small, minority and women-owned businesses.
SUMMARY:
An Ordinance amending the Five-Year Diversity Action Plan and extending it for another five years. The Plan promotes the utilization of local small, minority, and women-owned businesses on City contracts by outlining various strategies and objectives for additional vendor outreach, Central Vendor Registry enhancements, easier certification processes, and increased access to capital. The Plan is developed in partnership with the Transportation and Capital Improvements Department, Finance Department, and Economic Development Department.
BACKGROUND:
As part of the 2012 - 2017 Bond Mass Selection Process, no African American-owned businesses (AABEs) responded to the solicitations at the prime consultant level and AABE utilization at the subconsultant level was low. As a result of these issues, an action plan was developed and approved by City Council in 2013 through Ordinance 2013-01-17-0028 to increase the participation of local small businesses that are also minority and women-owned (M/WBEs) on City contracts, with a focus on AABEs. When developing the action plan, the City gathered input from numerous advocacy organizations, trade organizations, and chambers of commerce.
The Five-Year Diversity Action Plan outlined various strategies and objectives to promote the equitable utilization of M/WBEs on City contracts. The Plan's strategies and objectives addressed outreach, identification, certification, registration, solicitation planning, capacity building programs, and access to capital for local small, minority, and women-owned businesses (S/M/WBEs). To oversee the Plan's strategies and objectives, a Diversity Action Plan Subcommittee was established that report...
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