Mayor Cara Spencer has signed an executive order that holds the key to reactivating the city's commitment to minority and women-owned businesses. Executive Order 91, as reported by the City of St. Louis official website, reinstates the certification for minority/women-owned business enterprise (M/WBE), following advice from Griffin & Strong—a consulting firm with a national presence in economic development disparity programs. This move comes after a temporary halt earlier in the year which saw the cessation of new M/WBE contracts, and places the city on a more legally resilient ground.
A comprehensive analysis by Griffin & Strong, driven by an exploration of the city's ordinances, the 2024 Disparity Study, and the relevant case law, has provided the administration with a reliable blueprint. Informed by this guidance, the mayor's executive order charts out a clear path for renewing M/WBE certification. "The City of St. Louis proudly remains committed to using its spending powers in a way that effectively and fairly addresses the disparities documented in contracting," Mayor Spencer asserted, according to the city's news release.
The 2024 Disparity Study is a pivotal document in the city's roadmap toward greater equity. Analyzing the level to which M/WBE businesses have been employed in city contracts in comparison to their presence in the local market, the study serves as the backdrop to the policy changes. With Executive Order 91, solicitation and execution of public work contracts will adopt a project-specific equity approach based on this study's findings, thereby syncing city practices with the realities of the local business landscape.
The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) will immediately get to work with various city departments to establish more detailed rules around calculating project-specific goals for equity. While resuming the task of M/WBE certification, the executive order also instructs the SLDC and other departments to take all suggestions from the Disparity Study into account. Griffin & Strong, the firm that has already provided the legal framework for Executive Order 91, will continue to aid the city in drafting new legislation that reflects the study's conclusions, translating the theoretical underpinning into the lexicon of new city code.
