§ 28-97. Purpose; Scope.

(a) Purpose.

(1) The purpose of this chapter is to establish a race- and gender-neutral remedy for ongoing effects of past discrimination in the marketplace by providing a variety of procurement tools for the City that will ensure that all segments of its local business community have a reasonable and significant opportunity to participate in City contracts for construction, architectural, and engineering services, professional services, services, and materials, supplies, and equipment.

(2) The SLBE Program also furthers the City's public interest to foster effective broad-based competition from all segments of the vendor community, including minority business enterprises, small business enterprises, and local business enterprises. This policy is, in part, intended to further the City's compelling interests in both ensuring that it is neither an active nor passive participant in private sector marketplace discrimination, and in promoting equal opportunity for all segments of the contracting community to participate in City contracts.

(3) The SLBE Program also provides additional avenues for the development of new capacity and new sources of competition for City contracts from the growing pool of small and locally based businesses. This capacity building will increase the quality of bidding on City contracts and lower prices for City contracts over the long term.

(b) Scope and limitations.

This SLBE Program may be applied by the City on a contract-by-contract basis to the maximum practicable extent permissible under federal and state law, as well as the City Charter.