Metro - File #: 2017-0918

• File #: 2017-0918
• Type: Informational Report
• Status: Agenda Ready
• File created: 1/19/2018
• In control: Executive Management Committee
• On agenda: 2/15/2018
• Title: RECEIVE AND FILE the Final 2017 Disparity Study report.
• Sponsors: Executive Management Committee
• Indexes: Bids, Construction, Contract administration, Contractors, Contracts, Design build, Disadvantaged business enterprises, Disparity Study, Federal Transit Administration, Gender, Informational Report, Metro Equity Platform, Minorities, Payment, Prime Contractor, Public private partnerships, Race, Race and ethnicity, Research, Research management, Small Business Prime Program, United States Department Of Transportation

Meeting_Body
REVISED
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 15, 2018

Subject
SUBJECT: DISPARITY STUDY

Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE

Heading
RECOMMENDATION

Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the Final 2017 Disparity Study report.

Issue
ISSUE

Metro periodically conducts a Disparity Study (Study) to determine if evidence of discrimination exists in the local transportation marketplace to support the continuing use of Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE) race and gender conscious contract goals in the implementation of its DBE program. This is in accordance with direction received by the U.S. Department of Transportation requiring that federal recipients in our region conduct a study or other evidence gathering effort to determine if disparity exists in contracting. The prior Study was completed in 2013.


Discussion
DISCUSSION

The Study conducted by BBC Research & Consulting (BBC) analyzed Metro contracting data over a five-year period from January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2015 to assess whether there were any disparities between utilization of minority and women owned businesses (M/WBEs), and the percentage of M/WBE contracting dollars that might be expected based on their availability to participate on transportation related contracts.

Findings

Utilization Analysis

The Study found that during the five-year Study period M/WBEs received 23.2 percent of the overall contracting dollars on over 12,000 construction, professional services, goods and other services contracts and subcontracts. Of these contracts, 14.7 percent was awarded to DBE firms.


Availability Analysis

The BBC Study team estimated the availability of M/WBEs for the same contracts analyzed in the utilization analysis and was dollar weighted by racial/ethnic and gender group for those contracts. The Study found overall availability of M/WBEs, on the contracts analyzed, is 31.3 percent. Hispanic American owned businesses (16.3%) and Black American owned businesses (6.8%) exhibited the hi...