The City of Houston is committed to ensuring that Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprises (MWSBE), People with Disabilities Business Enterprises (PDBE), as well as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) have significant practicable opportunities to compete for and participate in the City’s procurement of Construction Services, Professional Services, and Goods and Services, and that Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (ACDBE) are fully able to participate on Houston Airport System concession contracts.
To this end, the City, in accordance with Chapter 15, Section 15-81(b) of the Code of Ordinances, which requires the City to make its best efforts to initiate a study at least every five years, engaged a consultant, MGT of America Consulting to conduct a Disparity Study of its MWSBE, PDBE, DBE/ACDBE Program. The purpose of the Study, utilizing background information, detailed methodology, statistical data analysis, anecdotal evidence, and other relevant information, was to assess whether discrimination or disparities existed against MWSBE, PDBE, DBE/ACDBE firms in City of Houston contracting and if the evidence warranted the continuation of a race-and-gender conscious program.
Additionally, in light of changing market conditions in its current practice of procurement of goods and services and the final results of the Disparity Study, the City seeks to amend the Code of Ordinances to adopt new city-wide contracting goals to align with the Study’s findings and recommendations. As a part of the Disparity Study, an evaluation of economy wide data for veteran-owned businesses participation in the City’s MWSBE, PDBE, DBE/ACDBE was also conducted.
Consequently, this Ordinance provides for the establishment of a veteran-owned small business program.
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Cylenthia Hoyrd, Director
Office of Business Opportunity