Equity in Contracting Program
As part of the City of Tacoma's ongoing work to advance broader strategic goals relating to equity and accessibility, as well as economic growth, it has expanded its efforts to achieve equity in contracting and support of minority and women-owned businesses.
The Equity in Contracting Program offers access to contracting and procurement opportunities, as well as guidance and technical assistance, to historically underutilized businesses interested in providing supplies, services and public works support to the City of Tacoma.
The first phase of the City's efforts, which took place in 2019, prepared the City to make meaningful change by implementing foundational improvements that include increased technical assistance, improved compliance tracking, an increase of its contractor and supplier pool, migration to state certification lists, and working more closely with labor organizations.
The City is currently transitioning its Small Business Enterprise (SBE) list to Washington State's Office of Minority & Women's Business Enterprise (OMWBE) list. View the vendor certification information.
The next phase of the City's efforts, projected to take place from January 2020 – December 2020, will involve ongoing strategic planning with the City’s community partners and, ultimately, implementation of a range of programmatic improvements. From January 2021 – December 2023, the City anticipates analyzing its efforts to date and establishing baseline metrics for its programs, while also preparing for a new disparity study.