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Senate bill would give Met Council same small‑business procurement tools as state agencies
Summary
A bill before the State and Local Government Committee would align the Metropolitan Councilprocurement authorities with state agencies to expand small business contracting and subcontracting opportunities.
A bill introduced to the Minnesota Senate Committee on State and Local Government would give the Metropolitan Council the same procurement flexibilities state agencies have to promote small business participation.
The proposal, presented April 8 by Senator Pye for the Metropolitan Council, would allow the council to direct‑negotiate construction or maintenance contracts up to $250,000 with two competitive quotes, permit preferences of up to 12% for targeted group and veteran‑owned small businesses on goods and services and construction work, set subcontracting goals for targeted group businesses and allow direct select purchases up to $100,000. "This bill would allow the Met Council to have the same tools to procure goods and services for small businesses or from small business, I should say, that state agencies currently have," Senator Pye said.
The measure, characterized by sponsors as parity legislation, also includes a technical change to the council's statutory procurement authority (identified in the presentation as a change to Section 473.1425). Jody Jacoby, chief procurement officer for the Metropolitan Council, and Hannah Pallmeyer, the council's government affairs manager, testified to committee members and walked through the bill's specific sections.
Proponents said the changes would mirror authorities passed for the Office of State Procurement in 2023 and would promote consistent contracting practices between Met Council and other state entities. Testimony noted the statute would authorize awarding certain construction procurements to targeted group or veteran‑owned businesses and permit subcontracting goals to increase participation from those businesses.
No committee vote on the bill was recorded during the April 8 meeting. Committee members asked for clarification on statutory mechanics; Met Council staff said Cyrenthia Jordan, director of the council's Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity, was present to assist with technical or equity questions.
The bill text presented to the committee contains multiple procurement provisions that sponsors described as aligning the Met Council with existing state procurement tools, including direct negotiation limits, preference percentages, subcontracting goals and a technical statutory update to Section 473.1425.
If advanced, the bill would change how the Metropolitan Council structures small business outreach and awards for certain procurements. Committee members did not adopt an amendment or take a final vote during the hearing; sponsors indicated they would be available for follow‑up questions and that staff could provide additional statutory language.
