|
Executive Order
Office of the Mayor
City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
Executive Order: 01-02
Outreach to Minority & Women-owned Businesses
An Executive Order encouraging City departments to increase their outreach efforts to
women and minority owned businesses. The Executive Order directs City departments to
increase opportunities for women and minority owned firms to compete for City contracts,
as outlined in Seattle Ordinance 119603, passed in 1999. This Executive Order also
directs departments to comply with RCW 35.22.650.
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the City of Seattle to be inclusive of all its citizens in
the business and the work we do.
WHEREAS, when Initiative 200 passed in 1998, it limited the City's ability to help Women
& Minority-owned Business Enterprises (WMBE's) to successfully participate in City
contracting. As a result, the City has experienced a significant drop in the
participation of WMBE's on our contracts.
WHEREAS, WMBE participation on construction projects has dropped by almost one-third.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GREGORY J. NICKELS, Seattle Mayor, do order that all City Departments
and Offices renew their outreach efforts to WMBE businesses. Departments are to
actively implement the provisions of Ordinance 119603, passed in August of 1999, which
states, among other provisions that City departments should strive to use all legal means
to see that minority-owned and women-owned businesses do not face unfair barriers in
their competition for City contracts and in their successful performance of those
contracts. Additionally, where appropriate, contractors will be required to actively
solicit minority employees and bids for the subcontracting of goods or services from
qualified minority businesses, and furnish evidence that they have done so with their
bids, as outlined in State law RCW 35.22.650.
FURTHERMORE, City Departments and procurement staff are to include, where feasible,
WMBE outreach language, and specific WMBE aspirational goals in our agreements.
Specific goals remind our contractors that we expect them to be inclusive of our
underrepresented business communities, and to allow them to participate in any
subcontractor bidding opportunities on our contracts. The goals will be designed to
reflect what we believe would be the level of WMBE participation that would be expected
given the level of their availability in the greater Seattle area. In addition, we will
be reviewing the records of contractors to determine how well they are fulfilling their
aspirational goals.
FURTHERMORE, Initiative 200 took away one of our most effective tools for creating a
level playing field for all businesses. Although I-200 prohibits specific preferences,
it does not restrict our ability to reach out to underrepresented communities and to
reduce barriers to their participation in city contracts. I believe that it is critical,
when the City spends millions of citizen tax dollars every year acquiring goods and
services to perform our public functions, that local women and minority owned
businesses have equal opportunities to participate in that business activity. All our
citizens should be able to participate in building and maintaining our City.
Inquiries regarding this Executive Order should be directed to the contracting staff in
the Department of Finance, Executive Administration.
Dated this_____day of ___________, 2002.
| ___________________________________ |
| Gregory J. Nickels |
| Mayor, City of Seattle |
|