Tacoma committee reviews 2024 Equity in Contracting report, outlines phased implementation of disparity-study recommendations

The Tacoma Economic Development Committee on April 22 heard a briefing on the 2024 performance of the city's Equity in Contracting (EIC) program and a plan to implement recommendations from a recent disparity study, staff said.

Casey Woods, business and economic development manager in the City of Tacoma’s Community and Economic Development Department, told the committee the 2024 report summarizes program outcomes, summarizes the city’s second-generation disparity study and lays out priorities for 2025.

The disparity study, completed in October 2024 after a competitive solicitation, reviewed city contracting from 2017 through 2022 and presented eight recommendations, Woods said. The study’s final report was published after a September 2024 study-session review and revisions following council and stakeholder input.

Why it matters: The EIC program replaces the former Small Business Enterprise program and uses race- and gender-conscious tools for public-works and improvement contracting. Committee members said the recommendations and the staff implementation plan could affect how the city sets project-by-project goals, how smaller contracts are structured and how the city engages with minority- and women-owned firms.

Background and 2024 outcomes

Woods told the committee the EIC ordinance was approved in November 2019 and replaced prior programs that trace to an MWBE program formed after hearings in 1989 and a 1993 disparity study. He said the EIC currently applies only to the city’s Public Works and Improvement contracts and that the municipal code requires department-level goals.

Staff presented preliminary performance figures and said the numbers remain under validation in the city’s compliance system. Woods…