Baltimore City spent $990 million, or 29% of its total contracting dollars over the past five years, with minority- or women-owned firms, a new study found.
That’s notably lower than the 41% of MBEs and WBEs in the city’s market area that were found to be willing and able to provide their services to the city.
The difference between the two figures is the calculation the study’s author, MGT of America Consulting LLC, used to determine that a statistical disparity exists between the percentage of contracting dollars the city is spending with MBEs and WBEs, and the percentage of those firms available to fulfill city contracts.
MGT’s 230-page report is the latest update in a long saga of shortfalls within the city’s minority contracting program, and when presented to a city spending panel Wednesday, yielded updates from city leaders on recent efforts to improve the city’s Minority and Women’s Business Opportunity Office.
