Delco Votes To Boost Diversity In Public Works Contracting

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — The Delaware County Council recently voted to set goals to increase diversity among its contracting awards.

The council unanimously voted June 15 to approve a formal resolution that sets goals for increased diversity in public works contracting undertaken by Delaware County.

Resolution 2022-3, "Resolution Regarding Goals for Diversity in Public Works Contracting," sets several goals to help ensure that contractors make a good faith effort to have at least a 10 percent participation rate of local, minority, and female residents in their workforce, and that contractors make a good faith effort to utilize small local businesses and minority, veteran, and woman-owned businesses on projects awarded by the county.

The resolution defines a "good faith effort" to include the hosting of a public job fair prior to the
commencement of a project, the posting of available employment opportunities with the Delaware County Workforce Development Board and its PACareerLink offices, and providing employment and training services, advertisement of employment opportunities in a newspaper of general circulation throughout Delaware County and on the internet.

The resolution also directs the County Executive Director Howard Lazarus to take steps to obtain a
disparity study related the relevant County public works contracting in order to assess the diversity of contractors, to help determine if any further actions by County Council may be needed in the future to help ensure an increase in the diversity of contractors doing business with the County.

"The County would like to cast a wider net and allow more participation in County projects from
businesses across the county," said Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor. "We want to support and include woman-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned businesses and to help those in our community acquire County jobs and contracts."

Per the county code, the resolution was effective upon adoption, and the county will begin to
implement its provisions in soliciting and awarding covered public works contracts.