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[00:00:02]

ALL RIGHT, I'LL

[Economic Development on November 3, 2025.]

TRY AGAIN.

UH, MAYBE.

GOOD EVENING, .

THE TIME THIS WEBINAR IS BEING TRANSCRIBED AND SUMMARIZED, IT IS NOVEMBER 3RD, THE TIME IS 4 43.

I'M CALLING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE TO ORDER.

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS APPROVAL OF OUR MINUTES, APPROVE APPROVAL.

IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.

ANY CORRECTIONS? HEARING NONE.

ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

A.

ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.

OUR FIRST BRIEFING AND ACTION ITEM IS, UH, DRIVE.

AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, A MS. ORTIZ, UH, DIRECTOR OR, UH, PRESENTING.

ALL RIGHT.

GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR, VICE CHAIR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

MY NAME'S JUANITA ORTIZ, DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES.

TODAY I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT THE DRIVE POLICY FRAMEWORK, DEVELOPING REGIONAL AND INCLUSIVE VENDOR ENTERPRISES.

THIS INITIATIVE REFLECTS OUR COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHEN OUR LOCAL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, INCREASING ACCESS TO CITY PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND ALIGNING OUR PRIORITIES WITH RECENT FEDERAL DIRECTIVES.

NEXT SLIDE.

THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S BRIEFING IS TO PROVIDE SOME BACKGROUND ON THE CITY'S BUSINESS INCLUSION AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW FEDERAL REGULATORY UPDATES, SHARE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT RESULTS, AND PRESENT THE DRIVE FRAMEWORK AND NEXT STEPS.

THE CITY'S BID POLICY WAS ADOPTED IN 2008 AND FOCUSED ON INCREASING PARTICIPATION OF MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS. OVER TIME, THIS POLICY HAS HELPED CREATE OPPORTUNITIES AND BRING MORE INCLUSION TO OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS.

HOWEVER, THE MARKETPLACE, LEGAL, LANDSCAPE, AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT HAVE EVOLVED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THEN.

NEXT SLIDE.

IN JANUARY, 2025, NEW FEDERAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS WERE ISSUED THAT REQUIRED ALL PUBLIC AGENCIES TO REVIEW AND ADJUST THEIR PROGRAMS TO ENSURE FULL COMPLIANCE WITH ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS.

IN RESPONSE, ON JUNE 25TH, THE CITY COUNCIL DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER TO TAKE STEPS TOWARDS COMPLIANCE.

AND SHORTLY AFTER, THE CITY MANAGER ESTABLISHED A GRANT COMPLIANCE TASK FORCE TO REVIEW CITY POLICIES AND ENSURE ALIGNMENT WITH FEDERAL STANDARDS.

NEXT SLIDE.

THESE DIRECTIVES PROHIBIT THE USE OF RACE, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, OR RELIGION AS A BASIS FOR AWARDING CONTRACTS OR ASSIGNING VALUATION POINTS.

AT THE SAME TIME, FEDERAL LAW CONTINUES TO REQUIRE THAT AGENCIES PROVIDE ACCESS AND INCLUSION OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, INCLUDING MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS. BUT THOSE EFFORTS MUST BE BASED ON RACE NEUTRAL, LEGALLY COMPLIANCE STRATEGIES.

OUR GOAL WITH DRIVE IS TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING DIVERSE SMALL BUSINESSES WHILE ENSURING FULL COMPLIANCE WITH THESE MANDATES.

THROUGH CAPACITY BUILDING AND BROAD OUTREACH, WE ARE CLOSELY MONITORING REGULATORY CHANGES AT THE FEDERAL AND THE STATE LEVEL.

THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S INTERIM FINAL RULE REMOVES AUTOMATIC PRESUMPTION OF SOCIAL DISADVANTAGE AND REQUIRES RECERTIFICATION FOR ALL DBES.

IT ALSO TEMPORARILY PAUSES DBE PARTICIPATION GOALS AND THE TEXAS COMPTROLLER HAS TEMPORARILY PAUSED ISSUANCE AND RENEWAL OF HUB CERTIFICATIONS PENDING CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW OF ITS PROCEDURES.

HOWEVER, STATE LAW STILL REQUIRES THAT WE OBTAIN AT LEAST TWO QUOTES FROM HUBS FOR PROCUREMENTS BETWEEN THREE AND 100,000.

OUR STAFF IS ACTIVELY REVIEWING THESE ACTIONS, AND WE WILL PROVIDE OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE TO ENSURE CONTINUED COMPLIANCE WHILE SUPPORTING IMPACTED VENDORS.

NEXT SLIDE.

IN RESPONSE TO FEDERAL DIRECTIVES, THE CITY TOOK ACTION TO ADJUST PROCUREMENT PROCEDURES SUSPENDED BID COMPLIANCE, AND COMMUNICATED THOSE CHANGES TO CONTRACTORS.

WE ENGAGED INDUSTRY CONSULTANTS AND CONDUCTED STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH.

NOW WE'RE REVIEWING CURRENT CONTRACTS.

WE'RE CONDUCTING A UTILIZATION STUDY AND PREPARING THE DRIVE FRAMEWORK FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION.

OUR FOCUS REMAINS ON COMPLIANCE, TRANSPARENCY, AND UNINTERRUPTED SERVICE FOR OUR SMALL AND LOCAL BUSINESSES.

NEXT SLIDE.

NEXT SLIDE.

WE ENGAGED MORE THAN 200 STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING PRIME SUBCONTRACTORS, CHAMBERS, CERTIFICATION AGENCIES, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS.

ACROSS FOUR STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, 60% INDICATED THAT THE BID POLICY WAS SOMEWHAT OR VERY EFFECTIVE AND EMPHASIZED THE NEED TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL AND LOCAL FIRMS WHEN WE MODERNIZED THIS PROGRAM.

NEXT SLIDE.

TO BUILD DRIVE, WE FO WE FOLLOWED A STRUCTURAL COLLABORATIVE PROCESS.

WE BEGAN BY ASSESSING THE BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION.

WE THEN VALIDATED OUR FINDINGS AND INTRODUCED EIGHT PROGRAM COMPONENTS, ALLOWING PARTICIPANTS TO PRIORITIZE THESE FEATURES.

[00:05:01]

NEXT, WE REFINE THE FRAMEWORK BY INCORPORATING THE FEEDBACK, AND THEN WE NOW WE ARE FINALIZING THE PROGRAM, ENSURING THAT IT'S LEGALLY COMPLIANT, DATA-DRIVEN, AND GROUNDED IN COMMUNITY AND INDUSTRY INPUT.

NEXT SLIDE.

STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK FOCUSED ON CLARITY, CONSISTENCY, LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

PARTICIPANTS EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF SCALABLE PARTICIPATION, A STANDARDIZED APPROACH TO CERTIFICATION, CONTINUED EVALUATION INCENTIVES AND SUPPORT FOR EMERGING BUSINESSES IN A ROBUST, GOOD FAITH AND COMPLIANCE DRIVEN STANDARDS.

THESE REQUESTS GUIDED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DRIVE POLICY.

NEXT SLIDE.

OUR MARKET DATA SHOWS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY.

DALLAS COUNTY HAS 71,000 SMALL BUSINESSES.

68% OF THOSE ARE MICRO BUSINESSES WITH LESS THAN 10 EMPLOYEES, AND 92 HAVE LESS THAN 50 EMPLOYEES.

DALLAS COUNTY'S ECONOMY IS DRIVEN BY MICRO BUSINESSES, YET ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF THOSE ARE ACTUALLY REGISTERED AND PARTICIPATE IN THE CITY PROCUREMENT.

SO DRIVE IS DESIGNED TO EXPAND ACCESS, BUILD CAPACITY, AND CONNECT MORE LOCAL FIRMS TO THESE OPPORTUNITIES.

NEXT SLIDE.

DRIVE REPRESENTS A SHIFT TOWARDS CAPACITY BUILDING, REGIONAL COLLABORATION, AND EQUITABLE ACCESS, NOT JUST COMPLIANCE.

IT'S ABOUT BUILDING THE BENCH, STRENGTHENING THE PIPELINE, AND ENSURING THAT QUALIFIED VENDORS HAVE A FAIR SHOT TO GET IN THE GAME.

NEXT SLIDE.

THESE GUIDING PRINCIPLES SHAPED THE DECISIONS THAT WE TOOK ON DEVELOPING THE DRIVE FRAMEWORK.

FIRST, WE'RE COMMITTED TO BUILDING CAPACITY, NOT JUST TRACKING PARTICIPATION.

THAT MEANS HELPING SMALL AND LOCAL BUSINESSES GROW INTO PRIME CONTRACTORS AND BUILD LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIPS.

SECOND, WE ARE EMPHASIZING REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND ALIGNING SYSTEMS INCREASES OPPORTUNITY AND EFFICIENCY.

THIRD, WE ARE ENSURING ACCESS TO CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES AT EVERY LEVEL, NOT JUST FOR LARGE PROCUREMENTS.

AND FINALLY, WE'RE FOCUSED ON EMPOWERING AND ACCOUNTABILITY, SUPPORTING VENDOR SUCCESS WHILE MAINTAINING TRANSPARENCY AND CLEAR REPORTING TO MEASURE PERFORMANCE AND IMPACT.

NEXT SLIDE.

HERE ARE SOME KEY PROGRAM ELEMENTS THAT WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE DRIVE PROGRAM.

PRIORITY ACCESS FOR SMALL AND LOCAL VENDORS IN INFORMAL PROCUREMENTS UNDER $100,000 DOLLARS THROUGH OUR FIRST LOOK INITIATIVE.

UNBUNDLING LARGE CONTRACTS WHERE APPROPRIATE, USING BEST VALUE TO BALANCE COSTS, QUALITY AND INCLUSION.

RECOGNIZING SELF-PERFORMING SMALL BUSINESS PRIMES AND TRACKING PERFORMANCE THROUGH AN ENGAGEMENT SCORE.

NEXT SLIDE.

DRIVE APPLIES TO GOODS AND SERVICE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, A AND E AND CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS FOR PURCHASES UNDER A HUNDRED THOUSAND.

WE INTRODUCED A FIRST LOOK ENCOURAGING DEPARTMENTS TO SEEK QUOTES FROM CERTIFIED SMALL VETERAN BUSINESSES.

FIRST BEFORE GOING OUT TO THE OPEN MARKET.

EXPANDING ACCESS TO CITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENTS, OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND.

WE CONTINUE STANDARD PROCUREMENT PROCESS WHILE EMBEDDING PARTICIPATION GOALS AND EVA EVALUATION CRITERIA TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH, EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT, COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND FEDERALLY FUNDED PROCUREMENTS REMAIN EXCLUDED FROM THE POLICY.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO DRIVE APPLIES TO ALL PROCUREMENT METHODS WITH A STRONG FOCUS ON CREATING ACCESS AT EVERY LEVEL FOR LARGE FORMAL SOLICITATIONS, PARTICIPATION GOALS AND PARTICIPATION EVALUATION CRITERIA CRITERIA APPLY WHERE COMPLIANT.

THIS ENSURES BROAD ACCESS AND CONSISTENT IMPLEMENTATION.

NEXT SLIDE.

OVER THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, WE'LL GO OVER THE EIGHT DIFFERENT COMPONENTS THAT WE DISCUSSED WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS.

SO FOR PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY, WE'LL START WITH AN SBA SIZE STANDARD AS THE BASELINE FOR ELIGIBILITY TO ENSURE FEDERAL ALIGNMENT AND FAIRNESS.

WE ARE CONDUCTING A MARKET UTILIZATION STUDY AND WE WILL USE THAT TO VALIDATE WHETHER CUSTOM REVENUE OR EMPLOYEE THRESHOLDS ARE APPROPRIATE FOR OUR REGION AND INDUSTRY SECTORS.

WE MAY ALSO APPLY PERSONAL NET WORTH TR THRESHOLD INITIALLY MIRRORING THE FEDERAL DBA STANDARDS, ENSURING THAT THE PROGRAM GENERALLY SUPPORTS SMALL AND EMERGING BUSINESSES.

AND THE ELIGIBILITY IS BASED ON OPERATING WITHIN THE DALLAS METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA, WHICH INCLUDES THE FEDERALLY DEFINED 11 COUNTY REGION SUPPORTING LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC IMPACT.

NEXT SLIDE.

UNDER DRIVE PARTICIPATION GOALS WILL BE AND MARKET BASED ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE MARKET UTILIZATION STUDY AND UPDATED AT LEAST EVERY FIVE YEARS.

TO REFLECT CURRENT BUSINESS CAPACITY

[00:10:01]

AND AVAILABILITY, WE WILL SET CONTRACT CATEGORY BENCHMARKS, WHICH ARE HIGH LEVEL ASPIRATIONAL GOALS TO MEASURE OVERALL PROGRAM PROGRESS.

AND WE WILL ALSO ASSIGN CONTRACT SPECIFIC GOALS WHERE APPROPRIATE MONITORING PLANNED VERSUS ACTUAL PARTICIPATION.

IMPORTANTLY, FIRMS MAY MEET THESE GOALS THROUGH SELF PERFORMANCE AS A CERTIFIED SBE, THE USE OF SBE SUBCONTRACTORS OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH.

NEXT SLIDE.

OUR LOGO PREFERENCE POLICY, WHICH WAS ADOPTED IN 2013, GIVES DALLAS BASED FIRMS A BID DISCOUNT OR EVALUATION POINTS ON ELIGIBLE PROCUREMENTS.

WHILE STATE LAW LIMITS ITS USE FOR CERTAIN CONTRACT TYPES, IT IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL IN ALIGNING OUR PROCUREMENT STRATEGIES WITH LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF THE DRIVE PROGRAM.

NEXT SLIDE.

WE'LL CONTINUE TO RECOGNIZE CERTIFICATIONS ISSUED BY OUR REGIONAL CERTIFICATION PARTNERS AS WELL AS FEDERAL PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE SBA EIGHT, A HUB ZONE AND SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED CERT CERTIFICATIONS.

WE INTRODUCED A PHASE GRADUATION PROCESS TO SUPPORT FIRMS THAT GROW BEYOND THE SBE STANDARDS, ENSURING THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE PARTICIPATING AS THEY SCALE WHILE MAKING ROOM FOR NEW SMALL BUSINESSES.

WHEN PERMITTED BY LAW, SOLICITATION SCORING WILL INCLUDE POINTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS UTILIZATION, LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT, AND AN ENGAGEMENT SCORE.

WE'RE ALSO CONSIDERING INCREASING POINTS FROM 15 TO 20 POINTS.

NEXT SLIDE.

ONE OF THE TOOLS UNDER DRIVE IS THE USE OF THE EVALUATION CRITERIA TO REWARD VENDORS WHO MEANINGFULLY SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS.

WE LOOK AT THREE KEY AREAS.

PER SPE UTILIZATION POINTS WILL BE AWARDED BASED ON WHETHER A VENDOR MEETS OR EXCEEDS THE SPE GOAL WITH CREDIT FOR SELF PERFORMANCE UNDER LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT, WE INCENTIVIZE FIRMS HEADQUARTERED IN DALLAS OR THE DALLAS MSA AND THOSE THAT CONTRIBUTE TO WORK WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING MENTOR PROTEGE PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS AND APPRENTICESHIPS.

THE ENGAGEMENT SCORE WILL EVALUATE A FIRM'S HISTORY OF SBE INCLUSION AND OFFER ADDITIONAL POINTS WHEN FIRMS BRING IN FIRST TIME SMALL SUBCONTRACTORS GROWING THE VENDOR POOL AND EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES TOGETHER.

THESE EVALUATION CRITERIA, REWARD, RESPONSIVE, RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE CONTRACTORS EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING BUSINESSES.

A CORE ELEMENT OF DRIVE IS CAPACITY BUILDING BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT MORE THAN AWARDING CONTRACT.

IT'S ALSO ABOUT PREPARING FIRMS TO COMPETE, PERFORM, AND GROW.

WE HAVE THE FIRST LOOK PROGRAM, THE DAS CAPACITY BUILDING COLLABORATIVE.

THE DALLAS ACCELERATOR PROGRAM WILL INTRODUCE A SMALL BUSINESS DIRECTORY, ALSO EXPLORE BUSINESS BONDING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND REESTABLISHMENT OF THE MENTOR PROTEGE PROGRAM.

NEXT SLIDE.

CONTRACTORS WILL CONTINUE TO REPORT MONTHLY SUB SUBCONTRACTOR PAYMENTS, ALLOWING THE CITY TO VERIFY THAT COMMITMENTS TO SMALL BUSINESSES ARE BEING MET.

WE'RE STRENGTHENING ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENSURING THAT CONTRACTORS WHO REPEATEDLY MISS PARTICIPATION GOALS WITHOUT VALID JUSTIFICATION ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

REINFORCING THE COMMITMENTS MADE AT AWARDS MUST BE HONORED DURING PERFORMANCE.

NEXT SLIDE.

GOOD FAITH EFFORTS ENSURE THAT SUBCONTRACTORS, THAT PRIME CONTRACTORS TAKE MEANINGFUL STEPS IN INCLUDING SMALL BUSINESSES.

IF A CONTRACTOR DOESN'T MEET THEIR PARTICIPATION GOAL, THEY MUST DOCUMENT OUTREACH, ENGAGEMENT AND PRICING TRANSPARENCY.

THIS KEEPS THE PROGRAM FAIR AND ACCOUNTABLE.

NEXT SLIDE.

THESE NEXT TWO SLIDES COMPARE THE BID POLICY TO THE DRIVE POLICY WHERE BID WAS OWNERSHIP BASED AND FOCUSED ON MWBE GOALS DRIVE SHIFTS TO A SMALL BUSINESS BASED ELIGIBILITY AND ADDS CONTRACT SPECIFIC GOALS AND BENCHMARKS, CREATING A MORE INCLUSIVE, LEGALLY COMPLIANT AND PER, UH, PERFORMANCE FOCUSED MODEL.

NEXT SLIDE.

UNDER BID EVALUATION POINTS FOCUS LARGELY ON PAST MWBE UTILIZATION WHERE DRIVE WILL FOCUS ON SBE UTILIZATION, LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT AND PAST PERFORMANCE DRIVE FORMALIZES AND EXPANDS SUPPORT SHIFTING FROM AWARENESS TO REAL CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT.

AND WHILE BID TRACKED REPORTED UTILIZATION AND VERIFIED PAYMENTS DRIVE CONTINUES THAT DISCIPLINE, BUT EMPHASIZES ACTUAL UTILIZATION, REPORTING AUDITS AND INCREASED TRANSPARENCY.

NEXT SLIDE.

OKAY, NEXT SLIDE.

WE CONDUCTED, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY CONDUCTING THE MARKET AND UTILIZATION ANALYSIS AND WHEN WE EXPECT TO HAVE RESULTS BY THE END OF NOVEMBER, AND

[00:15:01]

WE ARE FINALIZING THE FRAMEWORK THAT WILL COME TO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION IN DECEMBER, 2025 IF ADOPTED, WE'LL BEGIN IMPLEMENTATION IN JANUARY, 2026.

NEXT SLIDE.

OUR NEXT STEPS INCLUDE INCORPORATING FEEDBACK INTO THE POLICY LANGUAGE FROM THIS COMMITTEE, FINALIZING PROGRAM LANGUAGE AND DOING A LEGAL REVIEW, VALIDATING OUR GOALS ONCE WE RECEIVE THE MONTH MARKET UTILIZATION STUDY, AND THEN RETURNING TO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR CONSIDERATION.

NEXT SLIDE IN CLOSING DRIVE IS A MODERNIZATION OF OUR SUPPLIER INCLUSION STRATEGY DESIGNED TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITY, MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE, AND STRENGTHEN DIALYSIS ECONOMIC FUTURE.

THANK YOU, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

DIRECTOR ORTIZ, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, UH, AND ENSURING THAT WE, UM, COME INTO COMPLIANCE.

UM, I APPRECIATE THE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, UM, AND I HOPE, UH, THIS BODY WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO YOU TO, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE A, A COUNSEL, UH, DECISION BY DECEMBER.

UH, FOR THIS.

UM, IF THERE'S STILL FEEDBACK, WHAT'S THE LATEST THAT THIS BODY CAN GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY ON THE TIMELINE AND THAT WE DON'T HAVE QUESTIONS THAT ARE POSED, UH, TOO LATE, THAT AREN'T ABLE TO BE INCORPORATED.

SORRY, WE'RE CONFERRING.

GO, GO AHEAD.

SO WE ARE SCHEDULED TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL ON DECEMBER 3RD WITH AN UPDATED BRIEFING.

ONCE WE HAVE THE MARKET UTILIZATION STUDY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU ACTUAL GOALS AND METRICS THAT WE WILL USE IN, IN THE POLICY.

UM, AND PRESENT A DRAFT ONE.

THE VOTE IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 10TH, SO I WOULD THINK THAT BY THE END OF NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER 17TH WOULD BE NOVEMBER 17TH.

YES.

SO TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY WOULD BE IDEAL.

WE'VE GOT TO DO IN SOME INSTANCES A FURTHER ANALYSIS BASED ON THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED.

SO THE SOONER THE BETTER.

OBVIOUSLY WE'LL TAKE FEEDBACK FROM COUNCIL AS, AS, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

WELL, I, YEAH, I APPRECIATE THAT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

BUT IF THERE WAS A, A TARGET DATE, I'D SAY NOVEMBER 17TH, AND I'LL JUST, YOU KNOW, REMIND THIS COMMITTEE IS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE HEARD THIS BRIEFING A FEW, UH, TIMES ALREADY, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESPECTFUL ON TIME, ON THE STAFF TIME, UH, WHEN WE ARE BRINGING THESE FORWARD.

WITH THAT, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND START TO MY RIGHT, UH, WITH COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, GREY.

THANK YOU, MR. UH, MR. CHAIR.

UH, AND THANK YOU, UH, MS. ORTIZ FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I'LL, I'LL MAKE THIS REAL QUICK 'CAUSE HE'S RIGHT.

WE'VE HEARD THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT I JUST WANNA GET SOME CLARITY ON A COUPLE OF THINGS.

UM, AND I'M GONNA START WITH, AND I'M ALL OVER THE PLACE, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT SLIDES ARE, BUT, UM, YOU MENTIONED, I THINK I SAW SOMETHING FOR THE, UH, DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES.

THEY, THEY DID.

I SEE THEY'LL BE REQUIRED TO GET A RE-CERTIFICATION.

YES.

AND THAT'S AT THE, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

SO THEY'VE SAID THAT, UM, THE, THE SOCIO SOCIO SOCIOECONOMIC, UM, DISADVANTAGE CANNOT BE BASED SOLELY ON RACE OR GENDER.

SO THEY'LL HAVE TO COME BACK WITH A PERSONAL NARRATIVE TO STATE HOW THEY ARE, UM, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED BEFORE RE-CERTIFIED.

PUT IT ON SLIDE SEVEN, PLEASE.

IS THAT WHERE IT IS? THAT'S WHAT I WAS LOOKING.

SO AS OF NOW, THERE'S NO DBE GOALS AND THE DBE CERTIFICATION, EVERYONE WILL HAVE TO RECERTIFY UNDER THE NEW PARAMETERS.

SO AS IT RELATES TO JUST AVIATION IT, IT, I'M ASSUMING SAME APPLIES FOR AIRPORT CONCESSION, DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

UM, THE RECERTIFICATION PROCESS IS BASICALLY A NOTE TO SAY, HERE'S WHY I'M DISADVANTAGED.

YEAH, SO THEY'LL DO A PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

UM, I THINK THE PERSONAL NET WORTH HAS INCREASED TO $2 MILLION, 2 MILLION, 47,000.

UM, AND THEN THEY'LL HAVE TO RESUBMIT THEIR NARRATIVE NEEDS TO SHOW THAT THEY'RE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED WITHOUT CONSIDERING RACE OR GENDER.

SO PERSONAL NET WORTH INCREASED.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

I'LL STOP.

UM, I'M GONNA GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

OKAY.

UM, ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT'S ONE SIDE.

UM, TELL ME ABOUT, UM, SLIDE 20.

YOU MENTIONED THE, UH, YOU'RE GONNA CONDUCT A MARKET UTILIZATION STUDY.

UH, WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT AND IS THAT SORT OF LIKE A AVAILABILITY? IT'S AN AVAILABILITY STUDY? YEAH, SO, UM, I THINK AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, AND WE CAN PROVIDE THE INFORMATION, THE SBA SIZE STANDARDS ARE PRETTY LARGE, UM, TO BE CONSIDERED A SMALL BUSINESS.

IT DEPENDS ON THE CATEGORY, ON THE NACE CODES THAT YOU ARE, UM, YOU PROVIDE, BUT

[00:20:01]

I MEAN, YOU CAN HAVE 500 EMPLOYEES AND A $40 MILLION REVENUE A YEAR AND STILL BE CONSIDERED SMALL DEPENDING ON THE CATEGORY.

SO WHAT THE AVAILABILITY STUDY WILL DO WILL TELL US IF WE SHOULD HAVE OUR THRESHOLDS LOWER THAN THE SBA TO KEEP THAT TARGET AREA SMALLER, THE TARGET GROUP SMALLER.

SO THIS IS REALLY TO HELP US IDENTIFY WHAT THE THRESHOLD SHOULD BE IF STANDARD SOMETHING LOWER STANDARD, IF WE WANNA DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THE SBA A STANDARD.

GOT IT.

PERFECT.

AND WHEN WILL THAT STUDY BE FINISHED? IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF NOVEMBER RIGHT AFTER THANKSGIVING.

OKAY.

SO THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE THAT WHEN WE COME BACK, THEN WE COULD BE LOOKING AT THIS TO SAY BASED ON WITH GOALS.

YEAH.

YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THE AVAILABILITY OF SMALL BUSINESSES WITHIN THE DFW IS, IS HIGH MM-HMM .

BUT THIS HELPS US KIND OF NARROW IN THE SIZE STANDARD ON IT, WHICH WAS NOT DONE IN THE AVAILABILITY AND DISPARITY STUDY WAS DONE.

CORRECT? CORRECT.

OKAY, PERFECT.

UH, AND THEN, LET'S SEE, UM, OH, THIS ENGAGEMENT SCORE ON, ON THAT ONE, I LIKE THAT I CAN WE ADD OR, OR CONSIDER WE, WE ADD PAST PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF, OF HOW THEY'VE UTILIZED SMALL BUSINESSES AND THINGS IN THE PAST, BUT WHERE I'VE BEEN KIND OF ON AN ONGOING PREACHING, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THESE CHANGES ARE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, WHETHER WE SAY IT OR NOT, IT'S GONNA SQUEEZE OUT PEOPLE.

SO IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN I WANNA MAKE ROOM FOR NEW BUSINESSES, AND THAT'S WHY I'VE BEEN ON THIS.

IT'S NOT SO MUCH ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S AN MWB OR NOT, IT'S ABOUT COMPETITION.

AND FOR THE ENGAGEMENT SCORE, I REALLY WANT US TO FACTOR IN THEIR PAST PERFORMANCE WITH THE CITY AS WELL.

MM-HMM .

SO NOT JUST HAVE YOU USED A SMALL BUSINESS BEFORE, BUT ACTUALLY HOW DID YOU ENGAGE WITH US AND HAVE YOU CREATED, AGAIN, THE SAME QUESTIONS I'M ASKING HOW MANY CHANGE ORDERS? BECAUSE AGAIN, IF YOU'VE DONE BUSINESS, YOU HAVE SEVEN CONTRACTS WITH THE CITY MM-HMM .

AND EACH AND EVERY TIME YOU, YOU HAVE FIVE CHANGE ORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR CONTRACT, AND AT SOME POINT THERE'S GOTTA BE SOME LESSON LEARNED THAT'S NOT BEING LEARNED, UH, FROM THERE AND YOU'RE JUST COSTING THE CITY MONEY.

SO I WANT US TO BE ABLE TO REALLY THINK ABOUT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE AS WELL, BECAUSE IF WE'RE, WE'RE ELIMINATING PEOPLE FROM OPPORTUNITIES, WHETHER WE, HOWEVER YOU WANNA SAY IT MM-HMM .

THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING, THEN I WANT TO ELIMINATE SOME BAD BUSINESSES, SOME BAD COMPANIES THAT HAVE DONE BUSINESS WITH THE CITY IN THE PAST SO THAT WE CAN MAKE ROOM FOR NEW BUSINESSES, UH, AND NEW COMPETITION.

UM, AND THEN THE LOCAL IMPACT IS THE LAST PIECE.

YOU SAID THAT LOCAL IMPACT WOULD BE THE CITY OR THE MSA, IS THAT, THAT 13 COUNTY MSA, IS THAT WHAT WE'RE SAYING? SO WHEN WE SAY LOCAL, WE'RE NOW SAYING LOCAL MEANS ALL OF THESE 13 COUNTIES.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD FROM OUR STAKEHOLDERS WAS A REQUEST TO MAKE THAT NOT JUST THE CITY OF DALLAS, BUT THE REGION.

AND SO THIS IS KIND OF, UM, US MEETING THEM, YOU KNOW, HALFWAY KIND OF TOWARD IN THE MIDDLE, BUT WE WOULD ALLOCATE THE POINTS BASED ON A SCALE.

SO IF YOU'RE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, YOU WOULD GET A LOT MORE POINTS THAN YOU WOULD IF YOU WERE IN THE COUNTY OR IN THE MSA, SO WE WERE STILL GIVING THEM SOME CONSIDERATION.

UM, BUT IT WOULD BE MOST CONSIDERATION, YOU'D GET MOST POINTS IF YOU WERE IN THE CITY, AND WE CAN LOOK AT THAT.

YEAH, I, I, I PREFER WE WENT THROUGH THIS, WE WENT THROUGH THE WHOLE LOCAL PREFERENCE THING WITH THE HEART OF MAKING SURE LOCAL PREFERENCE WAS LOCAL PREFERENCE.

AND IF WE, AGAIN, IF WE'RE MAKING ALL OF THESE CHANGES, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE STILL HAVE A RIGHT AS A LOCAL ENTITY, AND I THINK WE NEED TO PROTECT THOSE BUSINESSES THAT ARE HERE.

SO AGAIN, I GET THAT, BUT THAT'S 13 COUNTIES.

AND AGAIN, IT'S, IT IS A LITTLE BIT OF SHADE, BUT YOU HAVE PEOPLE LIKE IRVIN, IRVIN DON'T PARTICIPATE IN DARK, I'M NOT NECESSARILY INTERESTED IN THEM DOING BUSINESS.

YEAH.

THOSE COMPANIES DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY AS WELL.

SO I WANNA MAKE SURE WE TIGHTEN UP OUR LOCAL PREFERENCE POLICY, UM, TO, TO ENSURE THAT THEY NOT JUST GET A, UM, A CONTRACT, BUT THEY GET, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN JUST A PREFERENCE ON THAT PIECE.

SO I DO WANT TO TIGHTEN THAT UP.

I DON'T, I DON'T, I'M NOT REALLY COMFORTABLE WITH IT BEING THOSE 13 COUNTY MSA, UH, PIECE THERE.

I LIKE LOCAL TO BE VERY CLEAR THAT IT'S LOCAL.

AND IF YOU'RE NOT LOCAL, THEN I DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU ANY INCENTIVES.

SO BEING JUST, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE, ABOUT CHANGE YOUR PRACTICES.

OKAY.

THAT AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE THINGS TO, TO GROW BUSINESS IN THE CITY.

UH, OH, LAST QUESTION.

HOW DO WE UN HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF THE UNBUNDLING OPTIONS? LIKE HOW DO WE KNOW, I, I KNOW THE INTENT BEHIND IT, AND AGAIN, I KNOW THE, THE BATTLE BEHIND IT AS WELL MM-HMM .

SO HOW DO WE MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE? I'M DONE.

SORRY.

SO, OH, GO AHEAD.

SO I WOULD, I WOULD THINK THAT IT WOULD BE WITH THE NUMBER OF NEW CONTRACTORS THAT WE'RE BRINGING IN TO THE CITY, UM, WHAT WE DID THIS YEAR IS WE HAVE A QUARTERLY PROCUREMENT REPORT, BUT WHAT WE'VE REQUESTED FOR DEPARTMENTS IS AN ANNUAL REPORT.

SO WE'VE RECEIVED FROM THEM WHAT THEY ANTICIPATE THIS YEAR'S, UM, SOLICIT SOLICITATIONS WILL BE, AND SO WE'LL TAKE THAT AND WE'LL

[00:25:01]

LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE'RE HAVING SMALLER SCOPES THAT VENDORS CAN PARTICIPATE IN INSTEAD OF HAVING THESE LARGE, UH, SCOPES THAT MIGHT INCLUDE BONDING AND, AND OTHER CRITERIA THAT SOME OF OUR SMALLER BI BUSINESSES MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH.

SO EITHER LOOKING AT IT THROUGH, UM, BIDDING BY GROUPS OR DOING SEPARATE BIDS, BUT WE'LL LOOK AT IT HOLISTICALLY.

WELL, THE BEST, WHATEVER WAY WE CAN COME UP WITH TO SHOW THE, THAT THAT ONE IS HAPPENING, BUT TWO, THE TYPE OF CONTRACTS THAT IS HAPPENING SO THAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS CAN START THINKING.

SOME OF THEM MAY WANT TO DO IT, BUT NOT SURE HOW MM-HMM .

BUT IF THEY, THE MORE EXAMPLES THEY SEE, UM, I THINK THAT HOPEFULLY THAT'LL, UH, GET THEM, YOU KNOW, TO BE THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT IT TOO.

SO I DO WANNA BE ABLE TO TRACK THIS AND MEASURE IT IN A WAY THAT WE CAN SEE.

OKAY.

NO, I JUST WANT TO ADD, I THINK MS. ORTIZ HIT IT ON THE HEAD.

I JUST WANT TO ADD THOUGH, A LOT OF THE UNBUNDLING EFFORT THAT WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT MEANS THAT WE NEED TO REVISIT HOW THE SPECIFICATIONS GO OUT.

EXACTLY RIGHT.

THAT'S A LOT OF, THAT'S A HEAVY LIFT.

YEP.

AND THAT'S OFTENTIMES PROBLEMATIC IN THE PAST, BUT THAT'S WHAT'S PART OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING IN SHAPING, IS HELPING SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENTS AND TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW THEY CAN SPLIT OUT THAT WORK.

SO NOT TO JUST TO HER POINT HOW MANY NEW BUSINESSES, BUT HOW MANY AWARDS IS COUNCIL DOING IN GENERAL MM-HMM .

RIGHT.

THOSE, THOSE TWO METRICS TO ME ARE PAIRED TOGETHER.

HOW MANY NEW BUSINESSES, AS YOU OFTEN SAY TO US, COUNCILMAN GRACIE SEEMS LIKE THE SAME.

PEOPLE JUST KEEP WINNING AND WINNING AND WINNING.

WELL, THAT'S ONE THING TO SAY.

THERE'S NEW BUSINESSES ON THE TABLE, BUT HOW MANY TOTAL BUSINESSES ARE BENEFITING FROM YOUR AWARDS? PERFECT.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MR. CHAIR.

COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR, I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY UNTIL HE TALKED ABOUT, UM, THOSE THAT WE HAVE THAT KEEP GETTING AWARDED BIDS AND WE'VE, AND WHEN THEY COME IN, THEY BID LOW AND THEN THEY HAVE, I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO STRENGTHEN THE, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THOSE DEVELOPERS AND, AND, AND TO, UM, NOTICE IF THERE'S A TREND, A TREND IN HOW OUR POLICIES AWARD BECAUSE WE AWARD AT THE LOWEST BID AND ARE WE, AND AND IT'S THE LOWEST BID, ALWAYS THE RIGHT BID, RIGHT, THE RIGHT ONE THAT WE AWARD TOO.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE INCLUDED IN HERE IS WE DON'T, WE DON'T USE, UH, BEST VALUE BIDS VERY OFTEN, BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR ANNUAL REPORT AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA SOLICIT IN THE UPCOMING YEAR, WE'RE GONNA START LOOKING AT WHERE ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO DO BEST VALUE INSTEAD OF LOWEST BID, WHICH STILL REQUIRES US TO GO WITH, UM, WE WON'T HAVE ANY NEGOTIATION ROOM ON THE PRICING, BUT IT'LL ALLOW US TO INCLUDE OTHER FACTORS, NOT JUST PRICING.

SO YOU'RE SAYING THE BEST VALUE BID WOULD NOT GIVE US IT IS, IT WOULD LOOK MORE AT MORE THAN JUST PRICING.

YES.

WHERE THE LOWEST BID ONLY LOOKS AT PRICING.

RIGHT.

SO THE, THE BEST VALUE BID, OR IF WE ARE GOING TOWARDS THE BEST VALUE BID, THEN WE COULD, WE COULD CONCEIVABLY UNDERSTAND WHEN WE HAVE A BIDDER WHO IS MAKING BIDS ON THE LOW END AND THEN COMING IN WITH CHANGE ORDERS TOO.

YEAH.

SO WE WOULD REVIEW, UM, UNDER BEST VALUE, WE WOULD HAVE CRITERIA AND PASS PERFORMANCE COULD BE ONE OF THOSE CRITERIA.

THE DRIVE POLICY COULD BE A, A CRITERIA.

UM, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE PRICING, BUT WE CAN, UM, INCLUDE OTHER CRITERIA BESIDES AMOUNT OR BID.

SO EVEN IF WE GO BEST VALUE, WOULD WE ALSO, UH, LOOK AT AND MONITOR HOW MANY CHANGE ORDERS ARE GONNA COME THROUGH OR HAVE COME THROUGH AND STILL, UM, MONITOR AND, AND, AND HAVE THE METRICS ON WHETHER THEIR BEST VALUE IS ACTUALLY THE BEST CHOICE.

YEAH.

THANK YOU.

WE, WE CAN REVIEW THAT.

COUNCIL MEMBER ROTH.

THANK YOU.

UM, UH, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THE BEST VALUE BID, I, I WOULD, UM, CAUTION US TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE ARE NOT SUBJECTIVE DECISIONS.

UM, THAT, THAT PEOPLE DO STILL MAINTAIN A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

IF YOU'RE A NEW VENDOR, YOU DON'T HAVE THE, THE, THE, UH, TRACK RECORD, THE HISTORY THAT YOU'RE NOT EXCLUDED BECAUSE TECHNICALLY YOU MAY NOT BE, UH, A, UH, A KNOWN QUANTITY.

AND SO I, I WOULD BE REAL CAREFUL ABOUT, UH, PUTTING TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON THE BEST VALUE SUBJECTIVE CRITERIA.

SO IF YOU ARE GONNA DO SOMETHING, IT NEEDS TO BE REALLY

[00:30:01]

DEFINED.

MM-HMM .

MY, MY OTHER QUESTION IS, IS THOUGH, UM, ARE WE ANTICIPATING ANY LOSS OF NUMBER OF, OF POTENTIAL VENDORS AS A RESULT OF THESE CHANGES? IS IT, IS IT GONNA BE MORE DIFFICULT TO GET PEOPLE QUALIFIED? IS THERE GOING TO HAVE TO BE IN THE RECERTIFICATION? IS THIS GONNA CREATE AN A, A HASSLE OR A DIFFICULTY FOR PEOPLE TO, TO GET INTO OUR PROCESS AND INTO OUR SYSTEM? SO THE, THE CERTIFICATION PIECE, UM, WILL COME INTO PLAY AS IT GIVES YOU POINTS AND EVALUATIONS AND CRITERIA, BUT IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT TO BID.

SO ANYONE CAN CONTINUE TO PUT IN PROPOSALS.

UM, IT'S JUST THEY WON'T HAVE A CERTIFICATION.

NOW WHAT I'M, WHAT I'M GOING TOWARDS IS, IS TO ACTUALLY APPLYING TO GET, UM, TO GET INTO OUR SYSTEM, NOT THE BIDDING PART OF IT, BUT TO GET QUALIFIED TO BE A, A REGISTERED BIDDER.

IS THE PROCESS CHANGED? IS IT MORE DIFFICULT TO BECOME A HUB OR A, OR A, AN AUTHORIZED DALLAS VENDOR AS A RESULT OF ANY OF THESE CRITERIA? SO ANYONE CAN REGISTER TO BE A DALLAS BIDDER.

THERE'S NO COST.

YOU REGISTER IN THE SYSTEM TO BE A DALLAS BIDDER IN OUR BONFIRE SYSTEM, WHICH IS WHERE WE, WE ISSUE OUR SOLICITATIONS NOW TO GET A HUB REQUIREMENT THAT'S DONE THROUGH THE STATE.

THERE'S A DBE PROCESSES DONE THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UM, AND OUR CERTIFICATION AGENCIES AS WELL.

THAT'S, UM, AN ASPECT OF YOUR ROLE AS A VENDOR, BUT IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT TO DO BUSINESS WITH US.

REGISTRATION IS STILL CONTINUES TO BE FREE.

YOU CAN ADD SOMETHING.

NO, THE ONLY, THE ONLY THING I WANT TO ADD FOR, FOR COUNCILMAN ROTH IS THAT I, I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT IS LIKE TWO DIFFERENT TIERS, RIGHT? ONE IS DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS AND SHE SAID THOSE RULES DON'T CHANGE.

WHAT, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS WITH THE, UH, WITH THIS WIND DOWN OF THE FORMER MWBE POLICY THAT GAVE A SERIES OF PREFERENCES, RIGHT? AND THEN WE'RE TRANSITIONING TO A SMALL BUSINESS PLATFORM AND FRAMEWORK.

IN DOING SO, THERE WILL BE CRITERIA THAT PEOPLE WILL EITHER MEET OR NOT MEET THAT WILL STILL QUALIFY THEM AS A SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE.

AND IF SO, THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE PREFERENCES IN THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS.

OKAY.

UM, THE, IS THERE A, IS THERE A, A, UH, MECHANISM THROUGH, THROUGH THE CITY TO FACILITATE FOLKS AND HELP FOLKS GET THE QUALIFICATION, GET THE APPLICATION, GET THE, THE VENDOR DESIGNATION, UM, THAT, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CHANGE IN THE PROCESSES, SOME OF THE CHANGE IN THE, IN THE ORDINANCES, ET CETERA, TO MAKE IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO, ESPECIALLY SMALL BUSINESSES.

YEAH.

TO BE, UM, QUALIFIED TO DO BUSINESS WITH US.

SO WE HAVE THREE CERTIFICATION AGENCIES.

UM, WE'VE TALKED TO ALL OF THEM.

WE HAVE ABOUT A LITTLE OVER 4,000 REGISTERED MWBE CERTIFIED BUSINESSES.

AND IN TALKING TO THEM, THEY ESTIMATE THAT 90 TO 95% OF THEM WILL ALSO QUALIFY AS S BS.

AND SO THEY'LL BE WORKING ON WITH OUR EXISTING VENDORS AS WELL AS ANY NEW VENDORS TO GET THOSE REGISTERED.

UM, A COUPLE OF THE CERTIFICATION AGENCIES ALSO DO DBE AND HUB.

AND SO THERE IS GONNA BE A WAIT TIME IN GETTING EVERYONE CERTIFIED.

UM, BUT THERE ARE MECHANISMS WHERE WE CAN, YOU KNOW, PAY FOR A RESOURCE TO JUST DO CITY OF DALLAS REGISTRATIONS.

IF IT GETS TO A POINT WHERE WE SEE THAT IT'S TAKING TOO LONG, UM, WE CAN LOOK AT THAT.

THERE'S ALSO A NUMBER OF VENDORS THAT HAVE MULTIPLE CERTIFICATIONS.

YEAH.

OH, YOUR MIC'S ON? NO.

YEAH, SO WE, MANY OF OURS, I THINK ABOUT 2000 OF OUR VENDORS ALREADY HAVE AN SBE CERTIFICATION.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT REGISTERING MAYBE ANOTHER 2000 AND ANY ADDITIONAL SBE THAT ARE OUT THERE.

AGAIN, WHAT I WAS REALLY ASKING IS, IS THERE A GROUP OR A, A DEPARTMENT OR A, UH, UH, SOME, SOME FACILITY WITHIN OUR, OUR ORGANIZATION HERE THAT WILL HELP SOMEBODY FILL OUT THE FORMS, EXPLAIN HOW TO DO IT? MM-HMM .

MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN GET THROUGH THE SYSTEM SO THEY CAN MAKE THEIR APPLICATION PROPERLY.

IT USED TO BE THROUGH THE ENTREPRENEURIAL CENTER OR THE, OR THE SMALL BUSINESS.

I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS CALLED.

THE, THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER THAT THEY WOULD FACILITATE PEOPLE MAKING APPLICATIONS.

DO WE STILL HAVE THAT, THAT ABILITY? YEAH, SO WE DO HAVE A BUSINESS ENTERPRISE HUB.

UM, WE WILL USE THEM, OUR, OUR STAFF TO REFER EVERYONE TO THE CERTIFICATION AGENCIES, BUT THE CERTIFICATION AGENCIES ARE THE ONES THAT WILL HELP WITH THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND GET IT ALL COMPLETED AND REVIEW ALL THE INFORMATION SO OUR STAFF WILL REFER THEM TO THEIR APPROPRIATE AGENCIES.

SLIDE

[00:35:01]

23.

CAN YOU GUYS PULL THAT UP SO THAT COUNCILMAN ROTH CAN SEE THE THREE AGENCIES THAT JUANITA IS REFERENCING? IT'S THEIR WORK TODAY AND WE'VE MET WITH THEM AND THEY'RE COMMITTED TO CONTINUE THAT WORK TO SUPPORT THESE SMALL BUSINESSES.

AND THEY'RE THERE ON SLIDE 23 AND THEY, THEY ARE WORKING WITH, UM, DFW AIRPORT, UM, DISD, CITY OF FORT WORTH, A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT CITIES THAT ARE IN OUR AREA THAT ARE ALSO GOING FROM AN MWBE TO AN SBE PROGRAM.

SO A LOT OF THOSE SAME VENDORS ARE OUR VENDORS AND SO WE WILL SEE THOSE CHANGES.

THANK YOU COUNSEL, WE'LL DO A FOLLOW UP.

I THINK THERE'S STILL SOME QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE, SO, WE'LL, I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU PERSONALLY ABOUT THAT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

UM, IT IS, UH, AFTER FIVE NOW, UH, WE STILL HAVE SOME, UH, ITEMS THAT WE NEED A REVIEW.

SO WE MIGHT BE POSTING A NEW SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OR GETTING WITH STAFF INDIVIDUALLY.

BUT AT FIVE 18 WE ARE ADJOURNED.