City launches supplier diversity office, takes next step in disparity research

City of St. Petersburg Launches Supplier Diversity Office, Takes Next Step in City’s MWBE Disparity Survey

Recruitment activities for key office roles are currently underway

st. PETERSBURG, FL (December 16, 2022) – Following the findings of the City’s Minority- and Women-Owned Business Gap Survey, the City’s Procurement Department announced that diversity and inclusion should be incorporated into the City’s procurement and supplier processes. We are stepping up our efforts to make it take root. and evolving culture.

Mayor Kenneth T. Welch said: “We are proud of our procurement department for making informed decisions based on best practices in this area. is what happens when theory turns into practice.”

The Procurement Department’s presentation to the City Council Plenary Committee on December 15 included:

• The city formally established the Supplier Diversity Office and hired its first team member, Latasha Binder, as the office’s manager. Recruitment activities for additional key roles are currently underway.
• The city is made up of community leaders with a strong interest in business diversity, including Deuces Live Main Street, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corp., and the NGC team.
• The city’s legal team is currently drafting an ordinance for consideration by the city council in early 2023. The ordinance creates new opportunities for small, minority, and women-owned businesses to participate in city contracts.

About the Minority- and Women-Owned Business Gap Survey in St. Petersburg:
The Minority- and Women-Owned Business Gap Survey is an assessment of contracting practices in the city of St. Petersburg, specifically the awarding of contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses over a five-year period. In 2018, the City of St. Petersburg initiated the process of conducting a disparity survey to ensure a level playing field for all members of the community wishing to do business with the City of St. Petersburg. Benefits of conducting a disparity survey include: a) identify best practices for improving the City’s contracting process; b) Increase the number of bidders for city contracts. c) Lower the city’s procurement costs. As a result of the findings, the city utilized the services of her one of the nation’s top consultants on business diversity to implement the disparity study’s recommendations.

For more information on the City’s Disparity Survey, the Supplier Diversity Office, or how to become a City Supplier, please visit www.stpete.org/OSD.