Purpose
Whereas, the City of Portland is committed to inclusive and transparent contractor evaluation and selection processes; and
Whereas, the City’s current policy on the inclusion of minorities in contractor evaluation and selection processes is limited to requiring Bureaus have three (3) or more evaluators, with at least one (1) member of the committee selected from the community who is not a public employee.
Whereas, the City’s current policy does not consistently result in the inclusion of qualified minorities in its contractor evaluation and selection processes; and
Whereas, City bureaus have been challenged to identify qualified minority evaluators to participate in contractor evaluation and selection processes; and
Whereas, the Alliance of Minority Chambers shall meet monthly with other Portland based minority business associations including but not limited to the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs and the National Association of Minority Contractors to develop a list of qualified panelists to be submitted to the City of Portland upon request for each Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or other alternative contractor selection methods undertaken by the City for contracts in excess of the formal solicitation thresholds for construction, goods and services and professional, technical and expert services; and
Whereas, the City’s commitment to inclusive and transparent contractor evaluation and selection processes will be enhanced by accepting the assistance of the Alliance of Minority Chambers; and
Whereas, the Portland Development Commission’s commitment to inclusive and transparent contractor evaluation and selection processes will also be enhanced by adopting this policy for contracts in excess of the formal solicitation thresholds for construction, goods and services and professional, technical and expert services; and;
Policy
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the City of Portland shall include at least one minority panelist provided by the Alliance of Minority Chambers on the evaluation and selection panel for all contracts in excess of the formal solicitation thresholds for construction, goods and services and professional, technical and expert services that are not awarded on the basis of lowest responsible bidder; and
Be it Further resolved, that in the event a contract evaluation and selection panel is comprised of 5 or fewer members, there shall be a minimum of one minority panelist provided by the Alliance; for panels of 6 -8 members, there shall be a minimum of two minority panelists provided by the Alliance; for panels of 9-11 members, there shall be a minimum of three minority panelists provided by the Alliance; and so on; and
Be it further resolved, that the Alliance of Minority Chambers shall work with other Portland based minority business associations including but not limited to the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs and the National Association of Minority Contractors and will be responsible to provide a qualified list of minority panelists to City bureaus within reasonable time frames established by the City’s Chief Procurement Officer and the Chief Procurement Officer and the Alliance of Minority Chambers shall enter into a memorandum of understanding to memorialize the responsibilities of the City and the Alliance; and
Be it further resolved, that the Alliance of Minority Chambers shall submit a report no later than ten business days after the end of each quarter to the Chief Procurement Officer of the previous quarter’s efforts and activities to collaborate and work with other minority business associations for the purpose of developing a list of qualified minority panelists; and.
Be it further resolved, that the Alliance of Minority Chambers shall ensure potential panelists do not have a conflict of interest, will not be compensated for their volunteer work, and are committed to remaining on the evaluation panels throughout the selection process; and
Be it further resolved, that the City shall provide at least 10 days for panelists to review contract proposals prior to convening the panel for selection for those projects that exceed $150,000 and 5 days for those projects estimated to cost less than $150,000; and
Be it further resolved, that the Chief Procurement Officer shall provide the indexed formal solicitation thresholds to the Alliance of Minority Chambers on an annual basis; and
Be it further resolved, that the Portland Development Commission staff have agreed to prepare this policy to be formally considered for adoption by the Portland Development Commission; and
Be it further resolved, that this resolution is binding City policy.
History
Resolution No. 36757, adopted by City Council December 16, 2009.