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Cuyahoga County Council Passes Robust Legislation Submitted by County Executive Budish to Make Contracting More Fair and Equitable
Contacts:
Donisha Greene: (216) 443-7075 or dgreene@cuyahogacounty.us
Cleveland, Ohio – Earlier today, Cuyahoga County Council passed legislation submitted by County Executive Budish in response to the County’s Disparity Study.
“The County’s Disparity Study confirmed what many have long known: minorities and women are not sharing fairly in job opportunities. I’m proud to say that is about to change,” said County Executive Budish. “We will lower the barriers to entry for minorities and women businesses and create more opportunities to get their foot in the door. We will do all we can to make sure they have a fair shot. Thanks to Council these hurdles will finally be addressed.”
“When we first came into office as a Council in 2011, my top priority was to promote diversity and inclusion at the county to reflect the makeup of our community,” said County Council Vice President Pernel Jones Jr. “This legislation addresses the true inequities identified in the analysis completed by the County’s recent disparity study.”
County Council passed the following legislation:
In addition, Executive Budish will adopt the following administrative actions:
In 2013, Cuyahoga County contracted with two firms to collect and analyze statistical and anecdotal data in order to determine whether or not disparity exists within the County procurement policies and systems. The County recently released the findings from the Study which revealed that there is disparity between the number of available Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MBE/WBEs) and the number of those firms that have been awarded contracts from the County.
Donisha Greene: (216) 443-7075 or dgreene@cuyahogacounty.us
Cleveland, Ohio – Earlier today, Cuyahoga County Council passed legislation submitted by County Executive Budish in response to the County’s Disparity Study.
“The County’s Disparity Study confirmed what many have long known: minorities and women are not sharing fairly in job opportunities. I’m proud to say that is about to change,” said County Executive Budish. “We will lower the barriers to entry for minorities and women businesses and create more opportunities to get their foot in the door. We will do all we can to make sure they have a fair shot. Thanks to Council these hurdles will finally be addressed.”
“When we first came into office as a Council in 2011, my top priority was to promote diversity and inclusion at the county to reflect the makeup of our community,” said County Council Vice President Pernel Jones Jr. “This legislation addresses the true inequities identified in the analysis completed by the County’s recent disparity study.”
County Council passed the following legislation:
- An expansion of the County’s current SBE program to set aspirational Minority Business Enterprise and Women Business Enterprise subcontractor participation goals for every bid or proposal issued by the County; and requiring good faith efforts to meet said goals. MBE/WBEs bidding as prime contractors can also get participation credit.
- Elimination of the need for performance bonds for qualified small businesses for jobs under $250,000.
- The establishment of Small Business Set Asides for certain projects.
- Allowing companies with a demonstrated commitment to utilizing MBE/WBEs as subcontractors and/or a diverse workforce within the past 2 years to receive a bid preference.
In addition, Executive Budish will adopt the following administrative actions:
- Releasing an executive order requiring speedy pay from a Prime Contractor to their Sub-contractors.
- Utilizing pre-bid conferences to encourage broader participation.
- Appointing an Inclusion Officer to monitor, track and enforce these initiatives.
In 2013, Cuyahoga County contracted with two firms to collect and analyze statistical and anecdotal data in order to determine whether or not disparity exists within the County procurement policies and systems. The County recently released the findings from the Study which revealed that there is disparity between the number of available Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MBE/WBEs) and the number of those firms that have been awarded contracts from the County.
