[Durham INC] New Durham Equal Business Opportunity Program Begins April 1; Public Meeting January 28

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CITY OF DURHAM
Office of Public Affairs
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701

News Release


News Media Contact:
Amy Blalock
Sr. Public Affairs Specialist
(919) 560-4123 x 11253
(919) 475-7735 (cell)
Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov<mailto:Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov>
http://Facebook.com/CityofDurhamNC
http://Twitter.com/CityofDurhamNC
http://YouTube.com/CityofDurhamNC


For Immediate Release: January 15, 2016



Share!  Contractors & service providers invited to #Durham Jan. 28 meeting on equal business opportunity program changes http://bit.ly/1RpXTC3


New Equal Business Opportunity Program Begins April 1
January 28 Meeting Set for Public Comment

DURHAM, N.C. - Any business interested in City of Durham contracts should make plans to attend a meeting later this month to learn about upcoming changes to the City's Equal Business Opportunity Program (EBOP).

A town hall meeting to explain these program changes will be Thursday, January 28, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 101 City Hall Plaza. The changes will impact all categories of City contracting, which include construction, architectural and engineering, and goods and services.

All current prime bidders, estimators, and service providers doing business with the City, persons responsible for supplier diversity management within businesses seeking contracts, and minority- and women-owned business are encouraged to attend. This will also be an opportunity for comment prior to the scheduled implementation on April 1, 2016.

The proposed changes to the program, which works to ensure equal opportunities in all City contracting activities, are based on recommendations from the City's Disparity Study<http://durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2648>. In 2013, the City and Durham County jointly contracted with law firm Griffin & Strong, P.C. (GSPC) to analyze the procurement policies and practices of the City and County and their prime contractors. As part of this study, GSPC examined the participation of minority- and women-owned businesses eligible to provide goods and services. GSPC completed their findings in late 2014, summarizing the outcome of their analysis along with 15 recommendations to make the City's efforts to remove existing disparities more robust.

After the report was presented to the City Council in early 2015, the City's Disparity Study Review Team conducted a review of the analysis and recommendations and developed an implementation strategy, which included revisions to the City's Equal Business Opportunity Program that will go into effect on April 1.

For more information about the upcoming program changes or the town hall meeting, contact Director Deborah Giles with the City's Equal Opportunity/Equity Assurance Department at (919) 560-4180 or by email<mailto:deborah.giles at durhamnc.gov>.

About the Equal Opportunity and Equity Assurance Department
The City of Durham Equal Opportunity and Equity Assurance Department<http://durhamnc.gov/606/Equal-Opportunity-Equity-Assurance> is responsible for the implementation of the City's Equal Business Opportunity Program. Responsibilities include implementation of race and gender neutral measures to facilitate the participation of Small Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (SDBE) in City contracting activity, recruitment, certification, and maintenance of SDBE data bank, business development, City project compliance, monitoring, and reporting. Guided by the City's Strategic Plan<http://durhamnc.gov/183/Strategic-Plan>, the department ensures that its services support making Durham a great place to live, work, and play by focusing on a strong and diverse economy, assuring that City efforts are innovative and high-performing, and supporting the stewardship of the City's physical and environmental assets.

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