County Executive Barry Glassman has initiated a study to identify possible disparities in the awarding of Harford County government contracts. The study will help determine whether a formal program is needed to create fair procurement opportunities for minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE).
“I have worked closely with our local African American Business Caucus to begin studying whether there are in fact disparities and if so, how we can improve,” County Executive Glassman said.
Specifically, the study will identify whether there is a statistically significant disparity between the number of qualified minority contractors willing and able to perform needed services and the number of contractors doing county work.
If disparities are found, the study will recommend next steps tailored to the study’s evidence.
Griffin & Strong P.C. of Atlanta, GA will conduct the study, which will look at fiscal years 2017 – 2021 and is expected to take one year to complete.
Funding for the study was approved by the County Council in the budget for FY2022. The Board of Estimates approved the $300,000 contract with Griffin & Strong on October 26, 2021.
“On behalf of the members of the Harford County Caucus of African American Leaders, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to County Executive Barry Glassman, for his support in obtaining the necessary funding to complete this research,” Jim Thornton, president of the caucus, said. “Our goal for a formal MWBE program would be to create a level playing field for minority and female-owned businesses to compete for the millions of capital dollars of contracts awarded by the County on an annual basis.”
