Purpose
The purpose of this Project is to conduct a current Disparity Study on Agency’s transportation industry contracting, by collecting and evaluating DBE availability and contracting participation since the last disparity study update and by also taking into account availability and participation trends that have spanned this and prior study periods.
Background
ODOT has implemented a variety of small business programs that create contracting opportunities for DBEs. The programs have been created with the intent to provide fair and equitable access to economic opportunities and services in contracting with the Agency.
Historically, these small business programs have used either race- and gender-neutral (race-neutral) or race- and gender-conscious (race-conscious) measures to accomplish program goals and objectives. To meet constitutional narrow-tailoring requirements, the decision to use race-neutral, race-conscious, or a combination of both measures in implementing a program has depended on the presence or absence of evidence of discrimination in contracting opportunities for the relevant industry and locality. Accurate analysis of the evidence is imperative to determine which measures an agency may select for a program. A disparity study is the preferred tool used to measure availability and participation of DBEs, and to evaluate whether there is evidence of discrimination and its effects.
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