In 2019, we worked with Councilors Kim Janey and Michelle Wu to bring to light inequities in city contracting. At that time, city data showed that in FY18, only 0.5% of city contracts were awarded to minority business owners. Here is a brief timeline of BECMA’s involvement in the discussions around equitable procurement in City of Boston contracts:
- DECEMBER 2017: BECMA works with then-Councilor Pressley and Councilor Wu to pass an ordinance requiring quarterly reporting on city MBE spending and goal-setting, among other policies.
- JANUARY 2019: Boston City Councilors Wu and Janey file a hearing order to discuss equity in City of Boston contracting.
- MAY 2019: The hearing is held and the Boston Globe writes their initial story on this matter as well as a follow-up story on minority contracting. View a recap of the testimony on the hearing page.
- MAY 2019: BECMA meets with Mayor Walsh and his team two weeks after that hearing and makes recommendations on how to address the issue using feedback from our business members (presentation here). We also have subsequent meetings with the Office of Economic Development to work on our recommended next steps.
- JUNE 2019: BECMA announces it is hosting the Mass. Black Expo to connect business members with City of Boston and private sector contract opportunities.
- AUGUST 2019: BECMA meets again with the Office of Economic Development to discuss their progress on our recommendations.
- NOVEMBER 2019: Mayor Walsh signs an Executive Order as a first step toward creating more equity in city procurement. Part II expected in early 2020.
