The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is in the process of conducting a disparity study into the experiences of disadvantaged businesses (comprising small businesses, person of color-owned businesses, woman-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses) in doing, or attempting to do, business with PennDOT. If disparities are found in the utilization of such firms relative to their availability, the study can form part of the legal basis on which remedies may be implemented.
The remedies implemented may be relevant to the procedures of both the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program (the federal program PennDOT participates in) and PennDOT's Diverse Business (DB) Program. The period of the study will be from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2022. In addition to utilization and availability, the study will also examine marketplace conditions for disadvantaged businesses in the area generally, the state of PennDOT's current contracting and business assistance policies, legal considerations, and other topics.
Questions regarding the PennDOT disparity study may be directed to the Bureau of Equal Opportunity at RA-PDBEO@pa.gov.
Read a press release from PennDOT on the study at https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/penndot/about-penndot/equal-opportunity-equity/disparity-study.html.
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