Friday, October 02, 2015

CHRC Public Statement: City of Cincinnati's Disparity Study Recommendations



NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  10/1/15

MEDIA CONTACT: CHRC Executive Director Ericka King-Betts, PhD 
at chrc@cincinnati-oh.gov or by phone at 513.352.3237

CHRC Public Statement:
City of Cincinnati's Disparity Study Recommendations
The Disparity Study, commissioned by the City of Cincinnati at the request of the Mayor and City Council and performed by Mason Tillman Associates of the City of Cincinnati’s last five years of awarding contracts, has confirmed that a demonstrated pattern of disparity exists with regard to city contracting.

“The historic number of contracts awarded through a competitive process during the study period (January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2013) is not shocking but is disturbing. While troubling, we concur with Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black that a solid basis now exists for the city to implement specific remedies to help ensure all segments of the population are given an opportunity to compete for public dollars,” said CHRC’s Executive Director, Dr. Ericka King-Betts.

We at the Cincinnati Human Relations support the Disparity Study’s recommendations for both race and gender neutral and race and gender conscious remedies to identified disparities in City of Cincinnati contracting. These recommendations are as follows:

• Establish a race- and gender-conscious inclusion program that addresses prime contractor and subcontractor disparity findings.
• Apply bid discounts for evaluation purposes on supplies and services contracts when a member of an underutilized group is competing for the contract.
• Establish incentive credits for professional services contracts, e.g., reserve a percentage of evaluation points for members of underutilized groups.
• Set Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Women Business Enterprises (WBE) subcontract goals on construction and professional services contracts to eliminate the documented disparity.
• Continue the Small Business Enterprise Program as the race- and gender-neutral component of the City’s inclusion program.

It is our hope that these recommendations can be sustained over time by putting an effective structure in place that promotes economic inclusion, along with a set of metrics to gauge effectiveness over time.

Since 1943, the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission has worked tirelessly to help our community to overcome prejudice and discrimination, build mutual respect and understanding, and to become more harmonious and cohesive. CHRC will continue to provide support to the City to determine if compliance is being had with non-discriminatory provisions of city contracts by contractors doing business with city departments, independent boards and commission.

We further support the City’s efforts to reverse the significant and systemic disparities in the awarding of contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses in all city contracting areas, including construction, professional services, and supplies and services contracts. We further support the City’s efforts to create a more inclusive, equitable and welcoming Cincinnati.

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