City of Philadelphia - File #: 160956

• File #: 160956
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: LAPSED
• File created: 10/27/2016
• In control: Joint Committees on Legislative Oversight and Commerce & Economic Development
• Title: Authorizing Council's Committees on Legislative Oversight and Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings examining economic inclusion and diversity participation in professional services, capital projects, and other contracted work related to the planned $600 million investment in Philadelphia's Rebuild initiative.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Gym, Councilmember Oh, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Parker, Councilmember Green, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Henon, Councilmember Quiñones Sánchez, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Taubenberger, Council President Clarke, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember Domb

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
10/27/2016	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed on This Week's Final Passage Calendar	Pass
10/27/2016	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED & REFERRED

Title
Authorizing Council's Committees on Legislative Oversight and Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings examining economic inclusion and diversity participation in professional services, capital projects, and other contracted work related to the planned $600 million investment in Philadelphia's Rebuild initiative.

Body
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia is embarking on a historic effort to revitalize a variety of neighborhood assets, particularly playgrounds, recreation centers, and libraries. The City will issue $300 million in bonds and spend $8 million annually for the next 6 years in order to finance the initiative. This is an unprecedented level of investment in our City's neighborhoods and social infrastructure, and marks a turning point for Philadelphia's renewal efforts; and

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia's Annual Disparity Study for FY 2015 found a 31.7% participation rate for minority, women, and disabled owned businesses (M/W/DSBE) in City contracts, and the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) has recently raised the City's participation goal for FY16 to 35%. The City's efforts to create a more diverse marketplace are laudable, and show that each new public investment is an opportunity to grow on our successful inclusion strategy; and

WHEREAS, According to the Census Bureau, 54.5% of Philadelphia's population are racial minorities, while 53.5% are female; 12.1% of individuals under 65 have a disability. In order to create vibrant and just economy, the City must create opportunity for these historically-disadvantaged groups with all the tools at its disposal, including a robust inclusion requirement for City contracts; and

WHEREAS, The City's efforts to encourage economic diversity and inclusion have also run into challenges which must be addressed and mitigated. For instance, there were 68 contracts worth more than $150 million in FY 2015 "for which there are few or no M/W/DSBEs available to participate," according to the...