Mayor Nutter yesterday put some numbers behind the city's overhauled effort to give more business to companies owned by women, minorities, and disabled people.
At a news conference, Nutter said he planned to increase the participation rate of such companies from 18 percent now to at least 25 percent by July 2011.
He pledged to get tougher on city department heads, who often decide which firms win city business, and on primary contractors, who have often failed to follow through on promises to give pieces of the contract to minorities, women, and disabled people.
"We're also working on a comprehensive and tough contract-enforcement system," Nutter said, "so that prime contractors will understand without question how serious we are about dramatically increasing minority-, women-, and disabled-owned business participation in city contracting."
During the Street administration, the city's failure to monitor and enforce such contracts tarnished its reputation. The Minority Business Enterprise Council, the city agency that had overseen minority business participation, was at the center of the City Hall "bug" investigation into suspected pay-to-play political corruption in the awarding of city contracts.
In October 2008, Nutter replaced the agency with the new Office of Economic Development. In July, Nutter fired the head of that office, Michael Bell. The mayor said the office had not made as much progress as he had expected. Curtis Gregory replaced Bell.
Nutter also said the city would no longer certify minority-owned businesses, instead relying on other government agencies and organizations that already do that, to reduce bureaucracy for businesses.
Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr., who has nudged the Nutter administration to do more, said yesterday that the changes should help.
"The utilization of disadvantaged businesses should match the availability of those businesses. No excuses," Goode said. An increase of just one percentage point in participation, he added, means about $6 million in revenue to a business.
at 215-854-5520 or hillmb@phillynews.com.
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