Purchasing Goals are important in government contracting
By Ronda Watson Barber
OhioMBE Publisher
Why can’t the state’s largest public school district, Columbus City Schools, meet its purchasing goals with the city’s disadvantaged businesses?
Are there biases, both implicit and overt, that are playing a role in the district not meeting its 20 percent purchasing goal with certified disadvantaged businesses? Are there barriers that are being placed before DBE’s that are not allowing them to compete for contracts? Does the district want to do business with DBEs?
Voters recently gave the district a signal of confidence and support when they approved a recent permanent school tax. Are DBEs getting the same commitment from the school district?
Over 74 percent of the students who are enrolled in Columbus City Schools are students of color. Eighty percent of students live in poverty. It is important that these students see Black-owned and disadvantaged businesses providing goods and services to the school district. Disadvantaged businesses can be role models and future employers for these students and their parents. When DBEs are participating in contracting opportunities within the school district, the entire community reaps economic benefits.
Columbus City Schools says it is committed to fostering an environment to provide economic opportunities to local DBEs through its Local Economically Disadvantaged Enterprise program, LEDE. The LEDE program certifies businesses who (1)have its principal place of business within Franklin County or 50 percent of employees live in the district; (2) the 51 percent owner has a personal net worth of $750,000 not counting their primary residence or ownership investment in the company.
I am a strong believer that entities that receive public tax dollars from a diverse group of citizens have a moral obligation to be inclusive in their purchasing. If tax dollars are accepted from all segments of society, all should be provided access to contracting opportunities.
I have met personally with administrators and department managers to discuss the matter and to emphasize the importance of utilizing LEDE and Black-owned businesses in the purchasing scheme. A recent meeting with the Board of Education President and Chief Operating Officer was canceled.
Is the purchasing goal important? What is the elected school board members’ position on the district continually not meeting the goal? What answers are they giving to their constituents? Is the Board using LEDE businesses for its activities? Is the mandate to meet the goal coming from the top? After 30 years, the State of Ohio finally began to meet and exceed its 15 percent MBE purchasing goal, when Governor John Kasich threw down the gauntlet and required department and agency heads to meet the goals or find other jobs.
When given the opportunity, I strongly believe that LEDE and Black-owned business can compete and excel. This fact has been proven with the State’s MBE program and Governor Kasich’s commitment to the minority business community.
Just my thoughts…rwb
This appeared in OhioMBE – Dec. 1, 2016
