HomeMy WebLinkAboutIPC Board Meeting Minutes 2.18.2025Inclusive Procurement and Contracting Board
Meeting Minutes
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Date: February 18, 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 Order- The IPC Board is now called to order on February 18, 2025 at
5:30 p.m.
• BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Keana Baylis, Rachel Tomas-Morgan, Michael Morris, Murray Miller, Kimberly Hurt, Wilbur Boggs, Kara Boyles, Breanna Allen, Cynthia Simmons
• BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT VIRTUALLY: Rosa Tomas.
• DIVERSITY & INCLUSION: Bianca Jones, Micheal Szymanski
• PURCHASING:
• LEGAL: Michael Schmidt
• INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY: David Finley
• BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Jeff Rea
Approval of Minutes:
December meeting minutes– Tomas-Morgan motions for approval –
Miller seconded.
All Ayes no Nays
Notes:
I. Procurement – Jones presented the December and January Procurement report.
December 2024 Procurement report was as follows:
All eligible spending was $188,714,766. We spent $7,858,293 with minority and women
owned businesses which equated to 4.2%.
MBE – $1,541,950.00
WBE – $800,028.00
MWBE - $371,773
Our total certified spend was 1.4% of all eligible spending.
Miller question the 4.2% and stated the math doesn’t come up quite right. Jones used the
equation All M/W Spend / All Eligible Spend x 100 and came up with 4.16% which rounded
up to 4.2%.
Jones presented the Public Works Spending that was captured in B2G Now. These totals only
reflect projects with goals that were captured.
Total Spend - $54,018,520
Total MBE/WBE Spend - $4,171,989
The total certified spend percentage was 7.7%
Miller asked about if engineering firms were captured in that total spend, Jones confirmed
those businesses if they are MBE/WBE or self-identified as minority or women owned
businesses they will be captured in the Minority and Women-Owned Business spend and
reflected in the list of businesses.
Regionally we spend 3 million (42.23%) and we spent 5 million (57.77%) outside our
region.
Boggs stated that there were spends in Lake county with a non-certified self-identified
business and because they are not certified we need to be looking within our region to spend
with businesses. Jones explained that based on our Program Plan St. Joseph County, Elkhart
County, Lake County, LaPorte County, Marshall County, Porter County, and Berrien County
are in our regional or local marketplace.
Morris asked if there have been any trends with increased utilization of certified firms since
we started our efforts on certifying. Simmons-Taylor stated she has not seen any in
construction as of yet.
Baylis inquired on our efforts to not drop participants off after certification and showing
them how to register their businesses as vendors on the city site. Jones said we make the
effort to do so.
Morris stated that his program has 370 participants ODI should invest in a bulletin to board
to announce certification and information on projects at the Collaboration Hub.
Miller stated that not all of them are going to be able to work on PW projects. Jones informed
the board that they have pulled a report showing all city spending by NAICS code across all
departments and will be able to be a little more pointed on what have actually been spending
on.
Tomas-Morgan asked if we could tell the story on why we are spending more outside of our
regional area. Finley explained that the map encompasses all of the city spending so it not
just public works.
Morris stated that you would think that there would be more spending with minority and
women owned business in the other areas outside of PW and the trades. Simmons-Taylor
stated that she agrees and this year would be focused on moving to all other departments.
Baylis questioned why we are not using businesses that graduated out of Dr. Morris
program? She stated that she sees numbers like $54 million dollars but we don’t see these
amount invested in Women and Minority-owned Businesses. Simmons-Taylor stated that
some of these business may have some business they could offer to the city.
Morris stated that he thinks it would be a mistake to criticize what ODI is doing, the board
just needs to understand the why we don’t have the engagement we are looking for. Jones
responded that we have been trying to find out why. ODI’s first initiative on fact finding is
hosting our first small business forum to help get feedback from local businesses in the city.
We recognized the disconnect when we held the Prime and Sub Connect networking event.
We had 5/6 primes show up but only 3 primes.
January 2025 Procurement report was as follows:
All eligible spending was $13,056,129. We spent $580,516 with minority and women owned
businesses which equated to 4.4%.
MBE – $80,975
WBE – $36,222
MWBE - $13,946
Our total certified spend was 1% of all eligible spending.
Jones presented the Public Works Spending that was captured in B2G Now. These totals only
reflect projects with goals that were captured.
Total Spend - $2,779,074
Total MBE/WBE Spend - $199,383
The total certified spend percentage was 7.2%
Regionally we spent $158k (27.17%) and we spent $423k (72.83%) outside our region.
II. DPW:
Szymanski Presented the December DPW report. Ther was 1 awarded project awarded
hat was the 2024 neighborhood services and enforcement demolitions that was awarded
to Indiana Earth for $550,295. The MBE on that project is Kennedy Trucking at 1.3%
and the WBE is Montgomery at 4.5.
We had one rejection which was the Cleveland and Portage traffic Signal Improvements
project the original bid round. The bids did not meet MWBE goals nor made a good faith
effort and it also exceeded the available budget.
2 projects closed out –
Drury Brewery cleanup that was Indiana Earth with the final contract amount of
$447,827.83. The MBE final percentage was 1.1 and the final WBE percentage was 4.64.
Cleveland and Ameritech Dr. intersection improvements with Milestone Contractors for
the amount of $1,463,270.49. The MBE final on that one was 2.05 and the WBE was
8.06.
January DPW Report –
We awarded 4 projects in January:
The momentum site improvements was awarded to Premium Concrete.
Their MBE is 1st Class Logistics at 2.17% and the WBE CE Hughes Milling 4.6%
Beacon Health Parking Lot was awarded to Indiana Earth in the amount of
$2,367,090.00. The MBE participant there is Kennedy Express Line for 2.6%. Two
WBEs which are State Barricading and Montgomery Trucking. The combined total was
5.38%
South Bend Central Fire Station and the roof replacement at the Public Works Center,
both were awarded to Slatile. They use JMH Roofing as their M&W supplier for both
projects at .6% and a 2.1%.
One Rejection for the Byers Softball Complex bids did not meet the goals nor make good
faith efforts and exceeded the available budgets. This was requested to re advertise.
Project completion - Fire Station. #8 was completed by R Yoder for a final amount of
$4,087,535.70. Final percentage is there for M&W are 10.4%. Both goals were exceeded.
LaSalle Ave. Streetscape completed by Milestone for a final contract amount of
$6,025,155.26.
The final MBE percentage on that was 20.6%, and the WBE was 8.1%. We exceeded both M
and W.
III. Office of Diversity and Inclusion:
Simmons-Taylor stated we will give a copy of the 2024 annually report will be given
once it is approved.
Jones touched on a review of 2024 events ODI participated in.
In 2025 ODI will run the Prime and Sub Connect the first month of every quarter. We
will host certification workshops the 2nd month of every quarter. We are also working on
hosting the Northern Indiana Small Business Summit.
Miller asked if we will have the 2024 annual report in March and also inquired about the
2023 annual report. Simmons-Taylor said we can disseminate that at the March Meeting.
Simmons-Taylor touched on the number of change orders that has taken place on
projects. She stated that some projects have multiple change orders on 1 project but as
these changes happen, we don’t increase goals where feasible. She stated that it is not
spoken to in our program plan and ordinance. She stated that ODI is looking at the
capacity of the current marketplace to identify additional NAICs codes that can be added.
She asked about the boards opinion of prime contractors qualifying to satisfy the
MBE/WBE goals on a project.
Morris asked for clarity on why we have change orders.
Boyles responded that it is inherent on every project so it is unlikely that a project would
ever be completed without a change order. She listed several causes for change orders.
Morris clarified that based on Simmons-Taylor ask, the understanding is when a change
order happens for a larger amount then we increase the goals, to which Simmons-Taylor
confirmed that was what she was asking the boards consideration on. Morris’s follow up
question was If somebody already has the contract, how do you go to somebody when
they already have contracts and increase?
Miller stated that if there are unforeseen conditions that could be a change order. Morris
stated that he understands that but the question is should we increase the target. Boyles
responded here are times when we have additional funding in a project and we may so
probably what somebody's referring to most is say we're doing paving and we notice that
our you know the project comes in under budget we. Mor the contract for $1,000,000 we
had 1.2 so we decide we have another $200,000 in the project budget cause price came in
under the estimate and so we decide let's change order and maybe up to $200,000
because technically we can, under state law, change order up to 20% of work is in
addition to. So things that are unforeseen don't count, but anything in addition to you can
go up to 20%. That doesn't happen all the time but occasionally, especially with paving as
a good example. Morris stated that the question Cynthia asked was if that happens, you
said give me a price but also understand that you’re going to have to meet a higher…
(Boyels) burden… Morris asked Simmons-Taylor if she wanted an answer and her
response was, Yes. Simmons-Taylor stated that where others see burdens she see
opportunity. Boyles stated that it’s a percentage, but in the situation that she just
described it would be very simple because it’s the same scope of work but it will not
always be that clean. Its sometimes presented as a number and not broken down to use. It
adds another level of what we are asking the contractor for in order to break down what
that change should be in the goal.
Morris stated that it sounds nice to raise it but it seems too complicated.
Boyles stated that we have not done any assessment in terms of looking into change
orders. Simmons-Taylor stated that we have, but it has not been categorized into different
buckets but its over $5,000,000.00 worth of change orders just last year.
Boyle stated that it is important to know if its 5 million, how do you break that into
scopes, and what NAICS codes would that have gone specifically to. To say we are
significant with $5 million in change orders I don’t have a KPI to tell you if that’s bad or
good because we probably have not tracked that over the years.
Tomas-Morgan stated that she is familiar with hearing of change orders all the time on
attending the redevelopment commission meetings.
Boggs stated that change orders have to be addresses on an individual basis.
Schmidt stated that the concern that he would have from the legal standpoint is there is
opportunities to maybe increase participation but contractually when proposing a change
to a contract you don’t want them to say no and demobilize. You don’t want them to be
delayed because then you lose something because you are adding additional conditions
which complicate their ability to get the job done.
Simmons-Taylor stated, she wanted to make it clear that she understands when it's an
emergency situation that you don't stop and change goals and rebid and things like that.
She stated she wanted to put that out there to see what the board thought about it and then
if it would be permissible that we check with some other cities, see what they do with
change orders.
IV. New Business:
o Simmons-Taylor stated that she was unsure if they had been selecting officers
regularly.
Tomas-Morgan stated that county, commission and boards have regularly selected
officers annually.
Simmons-Taylor spoke on the board members being on top of their appointments.
She stated that Keana was not reappointed by the Council, and she is currently
sitting as President. The council has appointed another person. Keana wanted to
make sure that everybody knew in a meeting that this was the case. Please check
with the appointing body to see if you've been reappointed. If you have been
reappointed, then you need to be sworn in again to be active.
Baylis stated that she was unaware until Cynthia called to tell her.
Schmidt stated she can still serve until your appointment, or your replacement has
been appointed.
There was question of when the board was notified of their appointment
expiration dates. Jones stated that she sent an email to everyone on January 11th
2024 informing them if they were expired or their expiration date.
V. Old Business
o VI. Announcements
o
VII. Floor Open to the Public -
VIII. Adjournment-
Baylis– Motion to adjourn /Boggs – Second Notes & Action Items