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South B�nd Redevelopment Commission Special Meeting - April 20, 1978 6. NEW BUSINESS, Continued Mr. Scott, continued: Now if you could bid and the minority factor had nothing to do with it, you could get a better bid. You try to get the best people, not using a minority (criteria) or whatever, because you are looking for people who can produce. It takes quite a bit of money just to bid on these contracts (10 %) and that is tied up. You will find a lot of contractors who will refuse to bid according to these rules. When you start a new business you try to listen to some of the old pro's and yet you want to get in- volved in this. If this minority thing has weight, then you want to see that the bidder who wins the contract does have some minority employees. I am speaking of minority employees in regards to dollar and hourly problems. Mr. Wiggins: This factor is involved, there is no question about it. Mr. Robinson: If you are the minority contractor person, it does not say that you have to have a total work force of minorities, it just says that you have to have an anticipated goal..you have to pay them scale wages. We want to get the wage scale so the working people do not get cheated and are making a decent living. That is not doing us any good if you get a work force and we are sorry if he is un- qualified but he has to be qualified if you are to make a decent living and make a profit on your business. We can't have wage rates established and then let you break it down two or three ways because the people aren't qualified. Mr. Scott: I understand that, but I am saying that if you put zero and you have the lowest bid but some guy was right over you with three minority employees, would he get the contract award over you? Mr. Robinson: It doesn't say anything about employees, it refers to an "anticipated goal ", it says "minority contractor ". Mr. Scott: It says "amount" of minority employees and this is the thing we are concerned about. Mr. Harcus: There are really two aspects to your question Sir. One is your minority goal as a contractor, whether the contractor be caucasian or black.That is controlled for the Redevelopment Commission by the Equal Employment Opportunity Office who says they will have a program to hire and train minority members. That is in practice in every contract and the EEO officer meets with every contractor and insures that the Affirmative Action Program is being complied with. That Affirmative Action Program is taken care of by a lady in the next office who is working for the City. The second aspect is that part of the contract which refers to our giving considerable con- sideration to preference for minority contractors working or living within the target areas. Now we have minority contractors who are active in our program and we show them how to use the contract as - 13 -