Delaware County Conducting a Disparity Study

Released: June 8, 2023

Delaware County is conducting a disparity study to better understand if minority-owned, women-owned, and disabled veteran-owned businesses face any barriers to accessing County contracts and procurement opportunities.

The study will evaluate the County's contracting and procurement practices to determine if disparities may disadvantage minority-owned, women-owned businesses, and disabled veteran-owned businesses in the bidding process. It will also provide recommendations on how to increase the participation of these businesses in County contracts and procurement opportunities.

The disparity study will be conducted by Miller3 Consulting, a nationally recognized and qualified firm specializing in conducting disparity studies nationwide. The firm will analyze data from the County's procurement and contracting processes, as well as from relevant external sources. This analysis will help identify any disparities that exist and any potential causes of these disparities.

The study will include outreach to minority-owned, women-owned businesses, disabled Veteran-owned businesses, and LGBTQQIA+ owned businesses in the County to obtain their input on their experiences with the procurement process.

“The goal of the disparity study is to promote equity and fairness in the County's procurement process,” said Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor. “By identifying existing disparities and developing strategies to address them, the County can create a more level playing field for all businesses seeking to do business with the County. This will benefit historically underrepresented businesses and the County by promoting competition, innovation, and a more diverse pool of vendors.”

Study period:

The disparity study period that will be analyzed is July 1, 2017- June 30, 2022

Key contacts:

If you have any questions or comments regarding the 2023 Delaware County Disparity Study, please get in touch with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office at supplierdiversity@co.delaware.pa.us.

Alternatively, you can contact the project team directly:
Larry Scott, Project Manager, Miller3 Consulting, Inc.
lscott@miller3group.com

Study progress:

The County will provide regular updates about M3 Consulting’s progress on the disparity study throughout its course. Please check back periodically for those updates: https://www.delcopa.gov/inclusion/DisparityStudy2023.html

Project initiation:

The County and M3 Consulting began the 2023 Delaware County Disparity Study in May 2023 with virtual and in-person meetings with various County departments and representatives. M3 Consulting met with the County to introduce the Study, answer questions, and begin the data collection process starting with assessing and understanding contracting and vendor data that the County maintains.

Data collection: M3 Consulting began working with the County in May 2023 to collect data on contracts and procurements awarded during the study period and information about the vendors participating in that work.

Next steps:

Community engagement. M3 Consulting will engage in the tasks in the coming months:

One on One interview - The project team will conduct a series of one-on-one interviews with both non-minority and minority business owners on their experiences doing business or attempting to do business with the County.

Focus Groups - The project team will conduct a series of focus groups with both non-minority and minority business owners on specific topics related to their experiences doing business or attempting to do business with the County.

Public Hearings - The project team will conduct a series of public hearings in various locations throughout the County. During the public hearings, the project team will present information about the disparity study, answer any questions, and solicit participants for any verbal or written testimony they would like to share about their experiences working in the marketplace. Further details, including specific dates, times, and locations of the meetings, will be available soon.

Data collection:

M3 Consulting will continue working with the County to collect data on contracts awarded during the study period and the vendors participating in those contracts.

Data analysis:

M3 Consulting will begin analyzing data that it collects from the County. M3 Consulting will start assessing the subindustries that account for the majority of County contracting, the geographical area that is most relevant to the County's contracting, and the percentage of total contract dollars M/WBEs received on the County's prime contracts and subcontracts during the study period.

Surveys. In the fall/winter of 2023, the project team will begin conducting email and telephone surveys with businesses in the relevant geographic market area that perform work relevant to County contracting.

Businesses who are contacted are encouraged to participate in the community engagement and survey process to help ensure an accurate and comprehensive survey process.