10-07-19 MBE/WBE - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Brooks stated, The study itself covered three (3) years of data: 2015, 2016, and 2017 for contracts over$50,000. Where the City spent money in those three(3) years is what showed up in the report and what went into calculating where our geographic marketplace is. The hope is that now that we have the initial study under our belt, in five (5) to seven (7) years, when we conduct another assessment, we will be able to look at the last five (5) to seven (7) years of data. Where we spent money in that period will determine if or how our geographic marketplace shifts. In that time period with the work that we're doing to develop small businesses,minority small businesses in particular, the number of businesses will hopefully increase and therefore the availability number will be different. This is a starting point. I don't want us to get so stuck on where we are starting that we lose sight of the fact that this is our first(1St) one(1). Many of the cities that have these programs have been conducting these studies for decades. She continued, Although the annual diversity purchasing report is a different calculation than the disparity study, one (1) thing people will see mirrored in both is that most people assumed we spent our money in South Bend. But for the last two(2) or three(3)years of the purchasing report, we have established that over all spending, forty percent(40%) or more was coming from outside of the State. The data should now inform how we think about our geographic market. We can't make the numbers fit what we think should be our geographic market. The numbers are what they are because that's where we spend money. If we are having to go to St. Louis to procure special services that can't be found here, we are a midsized City marketplace and I look at it as an opportunity for us to spur entrepreneurship in those areas where we have to go to other cities for specialized services. Then we can look at other employers in our area: do they also have to go outside of the State to get these services? If so, is that an opportunity for small minority or women owned businesses to start something here to serve our community? Dr. Boyles stated, Some of the members of the audience felt like some of the content was a little too technical and over their heads. Ms. Brooks replied, The presentation was probably as simple as you could possibly make it. The fact is procurement and contracting is complex. There are a lot of laws, a lot of legal jargon and Municipal, County, State, and Federal laws come into play. We can simplify it to a point, but if we oversimplify, then people may get the wrong idea about what can and cannot be done. I don't want that to be the case here. But hopefully we can make sure that vendors and contractors who are interested in moving their businesses here and doing business with the City, are able to access information to know who to speak with to actually submit bids. That is really what we need to focus in on. Boardmember Dr. Evelyn stated,This is a big project, and we've come this far,but I wonder about the reality of the situation. There seems to be so many moving balls as far as next steps. Moving forward, what role does the consultant play? And are you still going to be the only person who is going to be responsible to keep all of these balls in the air and to pick them up when they drop? Ms. Brooks replied, The consultant will continue to support us. Typically when consultants do studies, they're done. One (1) of the reasons we selected Collette is that is not the way she does business. She has a personal interest in making sure that we implement a successful program.