Disparity Study (Small Business Reserve Program)

The City of Frederick ("City") is soliciting proposals from qualified consulting firms (hereinafter referred to as the "Consultant") to conduct a comprehensive Supplier Diversity Programs Assessment, Disparity Study, and Strategic Implementation Plan. The City is committed to maintaining a procurement system that promotes open competition, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and equitable access to contracting opportunities for qualified businesses. As part of this commitment, the City seeks an independent evaluation of its procurement practices, supplier diversity programs, and marketplace conditions to better understand the participation of diverse and small businesses in City contracting opportunities and to identify opportunities for continuous improvement. The selected Consultant shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the City's supplier diversity programs, including the Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE), Small Business Reserve (SBR), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) initiatives, vendor outreach and engagement activities, compliance monitoring practices, and related procurement policies and procedures. The assessment shall evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs, identify barriers to participation, and recommend operational improvements consistent with current public procurement best practices. In addition, the Consultant shall conduct a statistically valid disparity study evaluating the utilization and availability of qualified firms participating in City procurement and contracting opportunities during the study period. The study shall assess whether disparities exist within relevant procurement markets and, where appropriate, evaluate the extent to which such disparities may be attributable to discrimination or other marketplace conditions. The City intends for this project to serve multiple purposes. First, the study shall establish a current factual predicate to inform future policy decisions regarding supplier diversity programs and procurement practices. Second, the assessment shall provide an independent evaluation of the City's existing supplier diversity programs and identify opportunities to improve effectiveness, transparency, accountability, and participation. Third, the Consultant shall evaluate whether the study findings support consideration of any remedial measures under applicable legal standards and identify appropriate race-neutral strategies that may improve access to contracting opportunities regardless of the study's ultimate findings. The Consultant shall conduct the study using generally accepted economic, statistical, and social science methodologies consistent with recognized industry standards for governmental disparity studies. The Consultant shall also consider applicable federal and Maryland law governing public procurement and supplier diversity programs and identify legal and operational considerations relevant to implementation of the study's recommendations. Nothing contained within this solicitation shall be construed as requesting legal advice to the City or predetermining the outcome of the study. The City encourages proposers to recommend innovative methodologies, analytical tools, stakeholder engagement strategies, and data visualization techniques that improve the quality, transparency, and practical value of the final work product. The City seeks recommendations that are data-driven, objective, actionable, and capable of supporting long-term strategic planning for its supplier diversity programs and procurement operations.