City of Philadelphia - File #: 160165

• File #: 160165
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: LAPSED
• File created: 2/25/2016
• In control: Committee on Commerce & Economic Development
• Title: Authorizing Council's Committee on Commerce & Economic Development to hold public hearings to determine whether the City of Philadelphia should provide its own certification process for Minority, Women, or Disabled Owned Enterprises
• Sponsors: Councilmember Oh, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Green, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Domb, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Taubenberger, Councilmember Henon, Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Parker, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember Quiñones Sánchez

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
6/10/2016	0	Committee on Commerce & Economic Development	HEARING NOTICES SENT
6/10/2016	0	Committee on Commerce & Economic Development	HEARING HELD
6/10/2016	0	Committee on Commerce & Economic Development	RECESSED
2/25/2016	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed on This Week's Final Passage Calendar	Pass
2/25/2016	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED & REFERRED

Title
Authorizing Council's Committee on Commerce & Economic Development to hold public hearings to determine whether the City of Philadelphia should provide its own certification process for Minority, Women, or Disabled Owned Enterprises

Body
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia purchases products and services from hundreds of businesses every year. The City is committed to ensuring that at least 25% of contracts for the City are fulfilled by Minority, Women, or Disabled Owned Enterprises; and

WHEREAS, Minority, Women, or Disabled Owned Enterprise certification verifies that at least 51% of the beneficial ownership interest and control are owned by a minority, woman, or disabled person; and

WHEREAS, Companies must be certified as Minority, Women, or Disabled Owned Enterprises before registering with the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) in order to receive preference in the City contracting process, as well as the City's for-profit and nonprofit partners; and

WHEREAS, As of February 17, 2016 there are 2,472 businesses with 2,488 certifications registered in the OEO Registry of Minority, Women, or Disabled Owned Enterprises, and 778 of these businesses (31.5% of registered businesses) have physical addresses in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, As of March 2010, the City no longer offers its own Minority, Women, or Disabled Owned Enterprise Certification Program; and

WHEREAS, To verify a company's status as a Minority, Women, or Disabled Owned Enterprise, the City of Philadelphia accepts certification from a variety of external agencies. The Department of Commerce website refers businesses seeking certification to governmental agencies in New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. This poses additional hurdles and expenditures to small business owners within Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Locally, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia International Airport, and the Pennsylvania Departmen...