Published by Keen Independent Research

This report commissioned by the City of New Orleans found that there is not a level playing field for minority and women-owned businesses in City contracts, and recommended ways the City can increase or strengthen procurement opportunities for small minority and women-owned businesses. Some of the findings included that the overall MBE/WBE utilization on City contracts roughly matched what would be expected based on the availability analysis, and there were disparities in utilization in City contracts for some MBE/WBE groups for some types of work, including Asian American- and Hispanic-American-owned firms, overall, and African American-owned construction firms; and there were substantial disparities between utilization and availability for each minority group and for white women-owned firms in the subcontracting realm. The recommendations included the need for the City to assist minority and women-owned companies in its procurement, the consideration of adding stronger measures to its State and Local Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SLDBE) program, including programs focused on vendors, prime contractors, and consultants; and maintain defensibility of the program through close monitoring.