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She continued, Partnering with agencies and local organizations is also something that we are <br /> currently doing, working closely with the South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership, West Side <br /> Small Business Resource Center, SBARC, Latin American Chamber,North Central Indiana Small <br /> Business Resource Center, and then also providing internal training for City staff connected to <br /> contract procurement responsibilities.The City's goal of fourteen-point nine one percent(14.91%) <br /> is not a blanket goal for every contract. Every contract needs to have its own specific goal based <br /> on what is available in its own particular area. We need a system that will calculate that for us. <br /> The recommendation is also to bid some contracts without goals,just to see what happens when <br /> we don't have our thumb on the scale. Are people going to use MWBEs at the same rate, or will <br /> they default? Collecting that information will be key for the next time we do a study. <br /> She went on,We also want to establish program eligibility, so, all disadvantaged racial and ethnic <br /> groups and white women within the City's geographic marketplace. Then, compliance and <br /> monitoring policies. Adopting contract awards and performance standards, and this is what you <br /> find in a program plan, not necessarily in an ordinance because it is too specific and you don't <br /> want to have to go and change an ordinance every time you want to make an adjustment, so we <br /> want to keep the ordinance as general as appropriate and leave the flexibility of the details in the <br /> program. <br /> She continued, We should be conducting a full and thorough review of the evidentiary basis for <br /> the continuation of the MWBE program every five (5) to seven(7) years. These programs have to <br /> have a sunset date, and then we need to have a timeline in place so that this thorough and fair <br /> review happens before the sunset date. Usually between eighteen (18) and twenty-four (24) <br /> months. <br /> Boardmember Williams asked, Is there an internal audit that will be evaluated and give <br /> recommendations so we can improve before we get the outside review? <br /> Ms. Brooks replied, Once we have software in place, I can print out a quarterly report so we can <br /> click a button and see if we are moving in the right direction and zero in on deficiencies. <br /> Council President Tim Scott stated, I would highly suggest this board be part of that process and <br /> ask questions on a regular basis. <br /> Ms. Brooks stated, The standards and review would typically be in the ordinance, it is broad <br /> language. <br /> Boardmember Dr. Evelyn asked, Is there a way to give people an incentive to do the training? <br /> Educating people and helping them set goals to get to their first(1St) contract? <br /> Ms. Brooks replied, I think those are things that could be part of a program plan. Incentivizing <br /> certification. There are a couple of different ways we could probably do that, but we are going <br /> back and forth with the consultant and our legal team on how to address these issues to make sure <br /> they are legal and doable. We already have a target on our backs because we live in South Bend, <br /> we have a very famous Mayor, and I have gotten some very direct emails from national <br /> organizations encouraging us not to move forward with any of this. I would recommend that we <br />