Local governments are big buyers. Here in the U.S., our state and city governments collectively spend 1.6 trillion dollars per year. But for too long, how and with whom our local governments spend their money has reinforced economic inequities in our country. Minority-owned small businesses have been historically locked out of opportunities to contract with governments, and the current crisis has disproportionately impacted these very enterprises.
In our newly released report, “A Procurement Path to Equity: Strategies for Government and the Business Ecosystem,” we collaborated with the Opening Contract Partnership and consulted 35 experts in our community to propose essential, game-changing solutions that could reshape our procurement systems.
In this conversation, we take a deeper dive into how we can collectively break down systemic barriers to economic inclusion for minority-owned businesses.
We are joined by:
- Carl Brown, Executive Director, D.C. Small Business Development Center
- Jennifer Geiling, Deputy Director, Policy & Partnerships, Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, City of New York
- Coreata R. Houser, Manager of Neighborhood Investment & Business Diversity, City of Birmingham
- Elizabeth Reynoso, Associate Director of Public Sector Innovation, Living Cities
- Moderated by Kisha Bwenge, Senior Community Building Manager, Open Contracting Partnership & Jennifer Bradley, Director, Aspen Institute Center for Urban Innovation
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