Equity and Contracting advisory reports outreach gains, urges prompt-payment reforms and a performance dashboard

City staff and members of Tacoma’s Equity and Contracting (EIC) Advisory Committee briefed the Economic Development Committee on Sept. 30 about recruitment, workshops and next steps to improve contracting equity.

Casey Woods, Business and Economic Development Manager, said the EIC advisory committee was established in April 2022 by Resolution 40944 and that its purpose is to monitor compliance with EIC program guidelines, advise on contracting matters, and help make city contracting more inclusive for small, minority- and women-owned businesses.

Woods said the committee includes 15 seats (seven representing certified businesses, five representing council districts and three seats representing Tacoma Public Utility Board appointees) and that 12 of 15 seats are currently filled; staff are recruiting to fill vacancies in Council Districts 1 and 4 and the open-shop firm seat. The committee has activated two subcommittees — Internal Process and Workforce — and has delivered a series of workshops.

Linda Serna, outreach specialist, said the EIC program hosted eight workshops and community events in 2025 that reached more than 120 attendees and has nine active partnerships with local technical-assistance providers to expand culturally competent outreach and language access.

Scott Lund, chair of the advisory committee, emphasized prompt-payment practices and capacity-building supports. "Getting paid on a job can be a line in the sand for a smaller business," Lund said, arguing that timely payment is a practical barrier that affects firms’ ability to pursue and complete city contracts.

Why it matters: Committee members framed the work as operational and practical — aligning procurement processes with the city’s equity goals, improving outreach and training, and tracking outcomes through a performance dashboard that will measure meaningful results for underrepresented businesses.

Next steps - Staff and the committee will refine and advise on the content of the 2025 annual EIC report and help define the performance dashboard metrics. - The committee will provide feedback on disparity-study recommendations and continue research on certification types and connections to contracting opportunities.

Speakers - Casey Woods, Business and Economic Development Manager (City of Tacoma) - Linda Serna, Outreach Specialist (EIC program) - Scott Lund, Chair, Equity and Contracting Advisory Committee (community/business) - Council Member Bushnell, Economic Development Committee (government)

Authorities [{"type":"resolution","name":"Resolution 40944 (establishing the Equity and Contracting Advisory Committee)","citation":"Resolution 40944","referenced_by":["equity-contracting-advisory-update-2025-09-30"]}]

Discussion_decision {"discussion_points":["Committee composition: 15 seats with 12 currently filled; vacancies in Districts 1 and 4 and open-shop firm seat","Two active subcommittees: Internal Process (prompt payment) and Workforce (hiring and capacity)","Outreach in 2025: 8 workshops, 120+ attendees, 9 partnerships with technical assistance providers","Planned performance dashboard and 2025 annual report guidance"],"directions":["Committee to help refine performance dashboard metrics and annual report content","Staff to continue recruiting for vacancies and to coordinate with procurement staff"],"decisions":[]}

Clarifying_details [{"category":"establishment","detail":"EIC advisory committee creation authority","value":"Resolution 40944","units":"resolution","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Casey Woods"},{"category":"committee_seats","detail":"Total seats and filled seats","value":"15 total; 12 filled","units":"count","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Casey Woods"},{"category":"workshops_2025","detail":"Workshops and outreach events in 2025","value":8,"units":"count","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Linda Serna"},{"category":"workshop_attendance","detail":"Attendees reached by 2025 outreach","value":120,"units":"count","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Linda Serna"},{"category":"partnerships","detail":"Active partnerships with technical assistance providers","value":9,"units":"count","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Linda Serna"}]

Proper_names [{"name":"Equity and Contracting Advisory Committee","type":"organization"},{"name":"Resolution 40944","type":"other"},{"name":"Tacoma Public Utility Board","type":"agency"},{"name":"Casey Woods","type":"person"},{"name":"Linda Serna","type":"person"},{"name":"Scott Lund","type":"person"}]

Community_relevance {"geographies":["Tacoma"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["small businesses","minority-owned businesses","women-owned businesses","contractors"]}

Meeting_context {"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":6,"duration_minutes":25,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"low","history":[{"date":"2022-04-01","note":"Resolution 40944 established EIC advisory committee"}]}

Searchable_tags ["EIC","equity","contracting","prompt payment","workforce" ]

Provenance {"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"block_2050.44","local_start":0,"local_end":800,"evidence_excerpt":"Okay. Thank you. Good morning, Vice Chair Diaz, members of the Economic Development Committee. Thank you for this opportunity. My name is Casey Woods, Business and Economic Development Manager...","global_start":2050,"global_end":2850,"tc_start":"00:34:10","tc_end":"00:42:30","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"block_2660.0598","local_start":0,"local_end":400,"evidence_excerpt":"Thank you all so much for the important update and work...","global_start":2660,"global_end":3060,"tc_start":"00:44:20","tc_end":"00:48:30","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

Salience {"overall":0.58,"overall_justification":"Operational reforms to procurement and stronger outreach affect small and underrepresented businesses seeking city contracts.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"City contracting opportunities and processes affect Tacomabased small businesses.","attention_level":"medium","attention_level_justification":"Procedural and programmatic changes require monitoring but are not immediate emergencies.","novelty":0.4,"timeliness_urgency":0.4,"legal_significance":0.3,"budgetary_significance":0.3}