One Big Mystery
Bill Would Shine Light On Disparities In State Contracts For Women, Minorities, Disabled and LGBTQ Business Owners`
Colorado is incredibly diverse. Unfortunately, we don’t know if that diversity is reflected in how we award some of our state’s biggest contracts to businesses.
Why? Because the state has never conducted a disparity study or kept a record about what demographics of people are awarded state procurement contracts for the products and services they can offer.
As a result, we do not know how historical precedent or structural inequities have led to disparities in who receives work. We have no idea if business-owning women, minorities, the disabled, or members of the LGBTQ community have been unjustly excluded from business opportunities that could have changed the course of their lives.
As a woman of color who previously owned a small business for 14 years, this is a fear I personally identify with. It’s something I know we need to better understand as a state.
Now, my job as a lawmaker is to find solutions to problems that Coloradans face every day. But how can we do that if we can’t even identify the problem in the first place?
In the past, we have had countless opportunities to change that, and this year is no different. For the fifth time in fewer than 10 years, legislation will be introduced to commission a study regarding the participation of historically underutilized businesses within the state procurement process. This session, I am the proud sponsor of that bill in the state Senate.
SB19-135 would require the state to conduct a disparity study, allowing an independent entity to study the procurement process of different departments and then use their findings to make recommendations to change the lives of small business owners across the state.
A disparity study wouldn’t just strengthen the fairness and justice of the procurement process, it would also strengthen Colorado businesses and our state’s economic future. By finding where disparities may exist and who they affect, this study can free the procurement process from bias and allow businesses to compete based entirely on their qualifications and what they have to offer to the community.
We know this process works because similar legislation has been successful in the past. HB14-1224 was a bill that carved out a goal of three percent in the state procurement process specifically for small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans. It passed the legislature in 2014 with flying colors. So, what is stopping us from making sure other underutilized businesses have similar opportunities?
It is time for Colorado to catch up, step up, and bring fair economic opportunities to women, and minority-owned businesses. Our state is known across the country for its strong economy and healthy business environment, but we must ensure that those benefits are actually available to everyone if we are to remain deserving of that reputation.
Colorado can do better to bring fairness in awarding state procurement contracts. My disparity study bill will ensure we are able to call ourselves the most economically prosperous state in the nation – not just for a select few, but for every Coloradan, no matter their race, sex, gender identity, ability or sexual orientation.
Angela Williams represents District 33, which includes Park Hill, in the Colorado State Senate. She can be contacted at 303-866-4864.