Essex County Law Will Help Women, Minority, Veteran-Owned Businesses

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders has passed an ordinance that will make it easier for women, minority and veteran-owned businesses to get county construction contracts.

The Essex County ordinance, O-2017-00005, has been dubbed the “Hand Up, Not A Hand Out” law. It will establish a set-aside and joint venture program to “increase economic opportunities for women, minority and veteran-owned businesses,” county officials stated in a news release.

A freeholder joint statement previously said that the proposed law will create an affirmative action set-aside program established with quantifiable goals of increasing the MBE, WBE, and VOBE contracts “spend” and contract participation.

• See related article: Essex County Needs To Hire More Women, Minority, Veteran-Owned Businesses

“On average, women in the U.S.A. make twenty cents less on the dollar than men… contracting more women-owned businesses can help close that gap,” said Freeholder President Britnee Timberlake, who pushed for the law along with At-Large Freeholders Lebby Jones, and Rufus Johnson.

According to a joint statement from the three freeholders, a review of the county’s 2014, 2015 and 2016 reports from the Office of Small Business Development and Affirmative Action revealed the total average “spend” on contracts was 33% for Small Business Enterprises (SBE), but only 6% for Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), 9% for Women Business Enterprises (WBE) and 0.16% for Veteran Owned Business Enterprises (VOBE).

“There are plenty of qualified, ready, and able minority-owned companies who can do the work but face passive discriminatory policies limiting access to capital,” Timberlake said. “This legislation can improve such conditions and offer economic opportunity. Furthermore, our veterans had our back, and now this law mandates we have theirs by making an effort to support their businesses.”

• See related article: NJ Among ‘Worst States’ For Retired Military Veterans

HOW TO APPLY

According to a freeholder news release, businesses interested in Essex County bid opportunities referred to in this new ordinance should register as an NJ State Certified MBE, WBE, or VOB. Registration applications and guidelines can be accessed through the State of New Jersey Business Portal website www.nj.gov/njbusiness/contracting. Businesses must also register with Essex County to automatically be informed of and apply for opportunities with the County. As stated on www.purchasing.essexcountynj.org, "once registered, vendors can download current opportunity documentation, stay up to date with the purchasing process, and track past awards."

For more help or information, contact the following sources:

• New Jersey State Business Action Center, (866)-534-7789, www.nj.gov/njbusiness/contracting/;
• Essex County Department of Administration and Finance Office of Purchasing, (973)-621-5100, www.purchasing.essexcountynj.org, procure@admin.essexcountynj.org;
• Essex County Small Business Development and Affirmative Action Department, (973)-621-7958, www.ecbizcenter.com, resource@rsbd.essexcountynj.org.

A free non-mandatory "State Contracts and Competitive Purchasing Workshop" will also be held on Aug. 17, 2017, from 10 a.m. to noon at McLoone's Boathouse located at 9 Cherry Lane in West Orange. To register, use the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/essex-county-state-contracts-competitive-purchasing-workshop-tickets-36112188528

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Photo: U.S. Dept. Labor