Seattle's latest move towards equitable city contracting is making waves, thanks to a cool million from Bloomberg's coffers. The strategic play, aimed at transforming procurement processes, was detailed in a recent feature by TechTalk Seattle. The goal? Inject efficiency, equity, and strategy into the way Seattle gets down to business.
It's not just talk, Seattle's track record is turning heads, especially since a 2004 City Council ordinance kicked off this quest for WMBE equality. While getting set goals in stone is easy, actually meeting them is where the real action is, and the Department of Finance and Administrative Services, in alliance with the Mayor’s Innovation Team, are working hard to make sure their strides match their ambitions, accompanied by Harvard Kennedy School's Government Performance Lab lending their expertise.
But one department is strutting ahead, showing others how it's done—Seattle Information Technology. With eyes on the books and hands on the gears, Seattle IT has not just hit but surpassed its WMBE utilization goals. A three-year spending streak at $116 million, translating to an impressive average of 37% of its budget on WMBE vendors, makes it the city's standard-bearer in equitable procurement.
The message is clear—when Seattle says it's going to support the growth of WMBE businesses, they mean business, and they've got the receipts to show for it things are looking. The City isn't just meeting but exceeding annual goals, with a dedicated tracking system for each department's WMBE spend to stay the course, because ensuring a fair share isn't a one-off event—it’s the way of the future for Seattle, as reported by TechTalk Seattle.
