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Commissioner presses county on set-aside process after low local MWBE participation
Summary
A discussion at the April 22 caucus centered on how Hudson County advertises and administers set-aside contracts for certified small/minority/women/veteran businesses; staff said the county notifies eligible vendors and will supply lists and follow-up reasons why identified local firms did not bid.
Commissioner William O'Dea used the board's caucus meeting to press county procurement staff for details about how set-aside bids are run and why so few Hudson County vendors captured share of certain set-aside awards.
O'Dea said he was "not impressed" that local vendors won a small proportion of set-aside work and asked procurement and the Office of Business Opportunity what follow‑up the County does after a set‑aside is advertised. "So after a bid like this is done ... we would check... what items did the local MWBEs or SBEs or VBEs bid on, what was the result… and those that didn't bid at all, we would ascertain why they didn't bid," he said.
Director Walker of the Office of Business Opportunity said the office identifies local firms and notifies them; for one recent set‑aside the office identified eight businesses statewide, three of which were local, and two local firms submitted bids. Procurement staff clarified that a set‑aside is limited to firms eligible for the set‑aside category (for example, State‑certified small, minority, women‑owned or veteran‑owned firms) but open to eligible firms statewide. Purchasing and the Office of Business Opportunity committed to provide the board with the list of identified firms and to report reasons firms did not bid.
Why it matters: County set‑asides are a tool to direct public spending toward certified small and disadvantaged businesses. Commissioners said they want more detailed data on outreach, bid participation and barriers so Hudson County businesses can better access publicly funded opportunities.
Next steps: Office of Business Opportunity staff said they will provide the identified‑vendor list and follow‑up reasons to Purchasing and to the board for review; commissioners asked procurement and economic‑development staff to consider outreach such as webinars and working‑capital assistance where appropriate.
Representative quote: Commissioner William O'Dea: "I think we have to figure it out... When we've got almost a half a million dollars of set‑aside to MWBEs, SBEs and VBEs and less than 10 percent goes to Hudson County, I think we need to do more work."
