Title
Amending Title 17 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Contracts and Procurement," by providing for a price preference for American-made supplies, materials and equipment purchased by the City and recipients of City financial assistance; and making technical amendments all under certain terms and conditions.
Body
WHEREAS, In the face of the most severe labor market downturn since the Great Depression, recovery of American jobs has been slow and not uniform across the country or across sectors. In particular, high-wage positions like manufacturing have fared worse in the Philadelphia metropolitan region than in surrounding regions; and
WHEREAS, The negative economic effects of the recession on American jobs are compounded by the increasing globalization of the production of goods. Nearly sixty percent of all goods consumed in America are made overseas. As a result, the United States has fewer manufacturing jobs in 2012 than in 1941. To bolster employment in this sector, economists recommend an increase in American-made goods: they estimate that if every American spent an extra $3.33 on American-made goods per year, it would create almost 10,000 new American jobs; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia's targeted use of its procurement policies can help bolster the number of Americans employed by the manufacturing industry. The City currently procures most goods by requiring vendors to bid, with the lowest bidder winning the contract. If the winning bid does not account for whether the products being purchased are American-made, American workers and businesses lose; and
WHEREAS, Such a policy rewards the lowest bidder without consideration of the origin of the provider's products. It emphasizes the short-term benefit to the City without due consideration of the long-term positive economic impacts that accrue to the country as a whole when purchasing American-made products; and
WHEREAS, In contrast, this Ordinance establishes a price preference policy that...
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