City pushing for diverse companies to bid on city contracts
Anti-poverty plan includes new goal for social procurement

thestar.com
By Jennifer Pagliaro
Aug. 31, 2016

The City of Toronto is moving forward with plans to get more diverse companies doing city-contracted work - giving more employment opportunities to those in minority groups and with low-income as part of a poverty reduction strategy.

The city has set a goal for 2018 of giving one-third of procurement contracts over $5 million to companies who are certified as diverse and who ensure 25 per cent of all direct suppliers are providing community benefits through their business practices.

“Poverty is everyone’s business,” Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell, who has led the anti-poverty strategy, said at a news conference Wednesday. “It’s actually implemented by the private sector. The private sector brings their money to the table and it’s the way in which they use their money that is important in our neighbourhoods.”

The hope, city officials say, is to create more job opportunities for small and medium employers by providing better access to city contracts which total $1.8 billion annually. The city will launch a campaign this fall to encourage businesses bidding on contracts to become diverse suppliers.

McConnell said the city has hired one additional staffer within their purchasing budget to facilitate social procurement, meaning little additional financial investment is required by the city.

“We need other companies to decide they’re going to step up and be a part of this,” Mayor John Tory told reporters Wednesday. “Approach us with a view in mind that says, ‘We want to be part of good business for us and good business for the city.’”

The Aboriginal Printing Corporation, whose small flagship retail location in the PATH near Union Station was the backdrop for Wednesday’s news conference, was part of a pilot for the social procurement program.

The eight-year-old business, which employs three people apart from owner Steven Bolduc at the PATH store plus a production facility, was sub-contracted by multinational engineering consultant Black & Veatch for their local printing needs during a Toronto Water infrastructure contract.

“At the end of the day, the biggest problem with minority businesses of any sort is that we don’t have an opportunity to have access or visibility to the big opportunities or opportunities that would help us garner success,” Bolduc said. “This initiative gives us an opportunity to illustrate our skill set.”

Sean Partington, a project manager for Black & Veatch, said there are benefits for big business in partnering with the city for social good - a framework other big cities have long had in place.

“We didn’t know about his company but we were given a database and the next day we looked at it and said OK, we’ll have you quote on one of our bids,” Partington said of partnering with Aboriginal Printing Corporation. “Great price, good quality, let’s go ahead with it.”

Council approved a poverty reduction plan last year, funded with $100 million, $26 million of that money for new and enhanced programs.