Fort Worth is known for its diversity in business, and one of the reasons is city officials stay on top of the matter, making a concerted effort to ensure diversity.
At its work session Jan. 15, the Fort Worth City Council received a report of an upcoming Availability and Disparity (A&D) Study.
The city periodically undertakes an A&D Study to validate and serve as the legal basis of the Business Diversity Enterprise (BDE) Ordinance. These studies are performed every five to seven years through a third-party consulting firm.
The current BDE Ordinance was approved in December 2011 and became effective June 2012. Therefore, it is time for another one.
The purpose of the A&D Study is to evaluate the city’s procurement and contracting practices, particularly their use of Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs) and Woman-owned Business Enterprises (WBEs), along with how well the city’s current program promotes equal opportunity for bidding, diversification of its vendor base, and equitable distribution of purchases.
The A&D Study will focus on construction, professional services (architecture and engineering), professional services (non-A&E), and goods and services, and will review the award of prime contracts and subcontracts during the study periods.
The Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Board issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) and awarded a contract for similar professional services to Colette Holt and Associates (CHA) on Feb. 1, 2018. The Fort Worth Office of Business Diversity Staff has recommended hiring the same firm for the city’s A&D Study due to CHA’s success in the DFW selection process, its marketplace which consists of 14 counties, of which six of those counties are within the city’s market area, and its recent experience with the Fort Worth area marketplace.
The A&D Study process will take 12 months.
CHA will engage the public through numerous channels, including a public study website to provide information and how the community can participate in the Public Meeting and Business/ Stakeholder Owner Interview sessions.
The Purchasing Department is expected to have an agenda item for council to consider at the Jan. 29 meeting.