Mayor Sharon Weston Broome issued an executive order today aimed at changing the “culture” of city-parish contracting to give small, minority-owned, women-owned and other disadvantaged businesses a better shot at landing government contracts.
Broome’s administration will conduct a “disparity study” to analyze racial, ethnic and gender biases in the city-parish procurement process, according to the executive order. The study will launch early next year and is the first in a series of steps outlined to extend government contracts to a larger group of businesses.
A Daily Report analysis earlier this year found 10 companies landed contracts that amounted to nearly 60% of the money spent on goods and services by the city-parish in 2016. But many of those were larger-scale projects like a sewer overhaul system and debris removal from the August flood.
Since taking office, Broome has called for expanding access to government contracts to disadvantaged businesses.
“I have been consistently vocal and demonstrative about the need for equity in all areas of life in our community, and this includes business,” Broome says in a statement.
As part of the order, departments will report to the mayor on how they have done expanding the reach of government contracting, participate in outreach events for smaller and minority-owned businesses and expand training and business development programs, among other things.
