East Baton Rouge Parish is developing a new certification program for businesses owned by women, veterans and minorities. It will be known as the Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Certification Program and is due to launch on December 1st, 2020. It will allow businesses to qualify for contracts with the city-parish, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) with a single certification accepted by all said entities.
The program comes after a disparity study found that just 4 percent of city-parish contracts went to businesses that would qualify for the new program during the period of 2013 through 2017. Based on an availability survey, the study found that 21 percent of municipal contract dollars could have been expected to be awarded to such businesses during that time period. The certification program will also include a slate of business outreach and training sessions.
The new certification program will be applicable to minority-, women- and veteran-owned small businesses, and has been tailored to feedback from such business owners, particularly in regards to allowing a single certification to apply to business done with the three aforementioned municipal entities.
"Our joint certification program is a significant stride in our push for equity," said Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome in a statement.
Read more about the new DBE program at https://www.brla.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=653.
Read about the disparity study at https://www.brla.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=414.
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