Cambridge economic development staff told the committee they have increased supplier diversity outreach and are working with the City of Boston to streamline certification for Cambridge businesses.

Pardis Cifani said the division has worked with the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Purchasing to follow recommendations from a 2021 disparity study that showed certification gaps among women‑, minority‑ and veteran‑owned firms. Cifani described three trainings in FY25 aimed at demystifying procurement thresholds and said the city’s supplier diversity directory saw a roughly 30% increase in listing requests since January 2023.

“We’ve been partnering with the city of Boston on providing certification support,” Cifani said. Tyrone Fells, the division’s small business specialist, assists owners one‑on‑one with certification navigation, she added.

Matt Nelson said Cambridge will host a supplier diversity fair later this year focused on city departments seeking goods and services and that previous fairs — run with partners such as MIT, Harvard and major employers — yielded meaningful connections. Cifani noted the city will apply lessons from the fairs and continue to expand the diversity directory and training.

When Councilor Wilson asked how many Cambridge firms had become certified through the Boston partnership, Cifani said staff would follow up with exact numbers but described Boston as a “great partner” for best practices and administrative support.

The committee heard no formal action on procurement policy at the hearing; staff said they will continue outreach and training to improve certification rates and procurement access for historically underrepresented vendors.