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Home My WebLink AboutIPC Board Meeting Minutes 3.18.2025Inclusive Procurement and Contracting Board Meeting Minutes Date: April 15, 2025 | Time: 5:30 pm | Location: Microsoft Teams (Virtual) & TRC 1165 Franklin Street, Suite 100, South Bend, IN 46601 Link: https://tinyurl.com/ipcboardmeeting  Call to Ord er- The IPC Boar d is now calle d to orde r on Mar ch 18, 2025 at 5:37 p.m. • B O A R D M E M B E R S P R E S E N T : Murray Miller, Reasha Donaldson, Rosa Tomas, Cythnia Simmons-Taylor, Michael Morris • BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT VIRTUALLY: Breanna Allen • DIVERSITY & INCLUSION: Bianca Jones, Micheal Szymanski • PURCHASING: • LEGAL: Michael Schmidt • INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY: • BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Jeff Rea, Wilbur Boggs, Kimberly Hurt, Kara Boyles, Rachel Tomas-Morgan  Approval of Minutes: February meeting minutes– Morris motions for approval – Tomas seconded. All Ayes no Nays Notes: Introduction of new board member Reasha Donaldson. Her current role is with the South Bend Community School Corp as a CTE business teacher and she also has a program involvement in a program called Suite Life, which introduces high school students to global economy. I. Procurement – Jones presented the December and February Procurement report. The February procurement report showed a total eligible spend of $28,236,109.00, with 4% spent on minority and women-owned businesses. $467,599 on MBE $60,482 on WBE $19,044 on MBE and WBE $582,187 Self-reported The certified spend was 1.9% of the total spend. In public works spending, $1,777,074 was spent, with $199,383 an MBE, resulting in a 7.2% utilization rate. Regional Spend: The report highlighted that 54% of the total eligible spending was regional, while 44.63% was outside the region. This was an improvement compared to the previous year. Morris asked about the repetitiveness of the MBE/WBE and if we are looking at that. Jones informed him that we are and have taken notice of the repetitive business. Simmons-Taylor added that we have seen an increase in the amount of that unique spend. Morris stated that he is trying to get a sense of fresh blood. He further explained that there are questions that stand out. One question is are this business making money working on a government contract and the other is do we see a pattern in terms of women and minority businesses who bid and don’t win and then stop bidding. Jones stated that we haven't looked to see how many of those have been minority or women owned businesses that bid and did not receive the contract. We have historical records of who has bided on projects, and that's not far-fetched for us to be able to go back and look. Simmons-Taylor added we could take a look at those bids that were not awarded and let's show them who won and so that they can see the differences in how they bid versus the winning bid. Jones stated that is why a mentor protégé program would be good to add. Our goal is to try and pull those who are actively winning quotes that don’t mind bringing them on board to show them the process. Donaldson asked if we are willing to have mentors from other states. Simmons-Taylor said yes. Tomas asked do bidders get beforehand kind of like a minimum requirement. Jones stated they do specifically in public works. II. DPW: Szymanski Presented the December DPW report. We had three bids awarded at the February 25th meeting. Cleveland Road and Portage Ave. Traffic Signal Improvements. JBL signals and lighting won at $241,280. Mishawaka Ave. Streetscape Project Milestone for $3,244,556. Beyers Softball Complex Improvements R. Yoder for 2.5 million. We did not have any rejections we were able to close out three projects. Three (3) projects closed out. Liberty Tower TIF Project Parking Garage Ram Construction final contract amount of $1,599,908. MBE/WBE did not meet goals Longfellow and South Street Project Reith Riley final contract amount of $521,159. MBE/WBE did not meet goals High Street Sidewalk Improvements Milestone final contract amounts $219,810. MBE/WBE Exceeded goals III. Office of Diversity and Inclusion: Miller reviewed the 2023 annual report and stated it looked like the same monthly report. Simmons-Taylor stated that it is the same format, but if there is additional information they would like to see, to let her know. Simmons-Taylor touched on the 2024 annual report. She highlighted ODI accomplishments in 2024, including an increase in the number of certified minority and women-owned businesses, successful certification sessions, and increased spending with minority and women-owned businesses. Certification Increase: In 2024, the number of certified minority and women-owned businesses increased to 55, up from 44 in 2023. The city spent with approximately 106 minority and women-owned businesses in 2024, compared to 72 in 2023. Certification Sessions: ODI held three cohorts of certification sessions in March, June, and September 2024, with 69 participants engaging in training. Of these, 15% became certified. Sessions will be held quarterly to increase MWBE capacity. Increased Spending: The city's spending with minority and women-owned businesses in 2024 was over $14.7 million, an increase of $2 million from 2023. The MBE certified spend in 2024 was $7,421,461, while the non-certified spend was $5,144,541. Small Business Assistance Suite: The board discussed the success of the Small Business Assistance Suite in 2024, which serviced 75 participants and provided coaching hours, tax vouchers, bookkeeping vouchers, and legal vouchers. They also mentioned the need for marketing support for businesses. 2025 Plan Enhancements: Outlined ODI plan enhancements for 2025, including topic- specific workshops, new KPIs, strengthened participation follow-up protocols, and enhanced performance measurement systems. They also mentioned the introduction of quarterly networking events for prime contractors and subcontractors. Certification Workshop Success: ODI shared the success of their recent certification workshop, where a participant was able to get certified in just two weeks. They also mentioned their efforts to provide one-on-one support to businesses through contracted liaisons. IV. New Business: - Poll for Fair Housing Luncheon V. Old Business: VI. Announcements Cynthia Simmons-Taylor announced that she is retiring effective April 4th, 2025. She thanked the board and their support. VII. Floor Open to the Public VIII. Adjournment – Miller motioned to adjourn, Morris seconded Notes and Action Items: