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Consultants find large disparities in Newport News contracting; city unveils BridgeForward program
Summary
A BBC Research disparity study covering $814 million in contracts found minority‑ and women‑owned firms were substantially underrepresented; city staff proposed a BridgeForward Business Access Program with a 12‑month phased rollout and asked council to authorize a resolution, staffing and software.
A consultant team told the Newport News City Council on June 23 that the city’s contracting between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2024, shows substantial underutilization of minority‑ and women‑owned businesses and recommended a set of policy actions to increase participation.
"Over that 5 year study period, 3.4% of the city's dollars went to white woman owned businesses, and an additional 1.8% of those dollars went to minority owned businesses," said Dr. Sameer Bawa of BBC Research and Consulting during the presentation. He said the availability analysis estimated 10.4% for white‑woman‑owned firms and 14.9% for minority‑owned firms, and that the disparity index results place many groups well below parity.
Bawa summarized the disparity index framework and legal context, noting the study’s convention that a disparity index at 80¢ or less indicates a "zone of substantial disparities," and reported that minority‑owned businesses received about 12¢ and white‑woman‑owned businesses 33¢ for each dollar of estimated availability.
Finance Director Sheila White outlined a proposed BridgeForward Business Access Program to implement the study’s recommendations. The plan would form a cross‑departmental work group (finance, purchasing, city attorney, economic development), develop a public dashboard for accountability, and phase actions across 12 months. Early steps include self‑certification data collection and aspirational contracting goals; mid‑range steps include unbundling large contracts and establishing subcontracting goals; later steps focus on a tiered small business program, mentor‑protégé relationships and required staffing and software.
Officials emphasized legal caution for any race‑ or gender‑based contracting goals. When asked whether the city would need General Assembly approval for preference rules, the city attorney said existing authority likely allows measures tied to a disparity study but warned any race‑ or gender‑based measures would need to be narrowly tailored to withstand constitutional review.
Council members raised implementation and funding questions and welcomed paired efforts on prompt payment and access to capital. City staff said invoices in good order are typically paid within two weeks, citing compliance with Virginia’s 30‑day payment window when applicable. Staff told council they will return with a resolution and a request to fund new positions and software to support implementation.
If council approves the resolution and funding, staff said they expect to sequence actions over the next year and to report progress on the proposed dashboard.
