South Bend working to offer minority and women owned businesses fair share of contracts

SOUTH BEND, Ind – The city of South Bend is working on closing the business opportunity gap often faces by minority and women owned businesses. 

The city under the diversity & inclusion initiative that was formed in 2016 completed a “Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise” disparity study. 

The study conducted in partnership with Colette Holt & Associates showed that there is a gap between opportunities by minority and women business owners as it relates to city contracts. 

Approximately 12-percent of city contracts went to business owners in that category whereas the goal is 15-percent. 

“Really what this is about is ensuring that bias no longer effects city purchasing,” Mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg said. 

Mayor Buttigieg said the city has struggled with parity in the past. 

“So much of this is about having access to markets and having access to city purchasing projects and we are gonna tear down those barriers,” Mayor Buttigieg said. 

Mayor Buttigieg said many of the study’s findings are being addressed currently. 

“Some things are underway now because we knew we shouldn’t have to wait for the study to come back to act, that’s why you’re seeing us invest in the ability to track and publish data that we didn’t have even a few years ago,” Buttigieg said. 

Click here to view the study and its findings.