Cincinnati Public Schools is falling to pressure on their minority-owned contractor process.
The Enquirer reports today that Superintendent Mary Ronan has reassigned the manager that the NAACP last week asked the board to fire. In response to the NAACP’s requests to increase CPS’s minority-owned contractors, Ronan outlined several steps the district is now taking, among them to hire a Supplier Diversity Outreach coordinator to recruit African-American businesses.
On CPS’s website, they list how they determine “the lowest responsible bidder,” which includes things like:
- The dollar amount of the bid and what work, materials and supplies are included.
- Experience, training, and skill of the bidder’s work force.
- Continuity and longevity or stability of the bidder’s work force.
- Number of years the bidder has been actively engaged as a contractor in the industry.
- Bidder’s financial stability or condition.
- Bidder’s management skills and abilities.
- Bidder’s familiarity and experience with the work to be performed.
- Bidder’s performance record on similar projects.
These are the things that CPS should be worried about when looking at a bid. If a supplier is strong in their areas, regardless of race, they should be given a fair shake.
