Supplier Diversity Programs use County Values and the Sustainable Purchasing and Social Equity policy to promote the diversity and equitable advancement of businesses and workers within Multnomah County. Multnomah County relies on the certifications given to Contractors by the Oregon Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) to monitor equitable contracting efforts. COBID provides certification to business as:
- Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
- Women Business Enterprise (WBE)
- Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) / Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (SDVBE)
- Emerging Small Business (ESB)
The primary goal of certification is to level the playing field for government contracts by providing certified firms a fair opportunity to compete regardless of owner ethnicity, gender, disability, or firm size. Multnomah County programs aim to increase participation in these historically underutilized firms while providing the best possible value to our community. Our goals also include ensuring that the County does business with contractors whose workforce hiring efforts reflect the diversity of the workforce found in Multnomah County.
The Supplier Diversity Programs are linked below, and consist of:
- Good Faith Effort (GFE)
- Led by Our procurement professionals and David Ramer, the Good Faith Effort program requires Prime contractors to submit documentation showing Good Faith Efforts towards providing subcontracting opportunities to a minimum of 5 COBID-Certified Subcontractors on construction projects.
- Workforce Training and Hiring (WTHP)
- Led by David Ramer, Multnomah County Commissioners have directed that all Departments maximize apprenticeship and employment opportunities for minorities, women and economically disadvantaged workers in the construction trades.
- Labor Compliance (LCP)
- Led by Patrick Wybert, the focus of Labor Compliance is on the workforce in the construction trades, specifically ensuring that the appropriate Prevailing Wage rate is paid to our those building our communities. Additionally, the County is committed to ensuring that construction projects are workplaces that are free of illegal bias, prejudice, discrimination, harassment or retaliatory conduct.
- Construction Diversity and Equity Fund (CDEF)
- CDEF created a dedicated funding stream to provide technical assistance, mentoring, and training to COBID-certified companies to strengthen the technical knowledge and ability to compete within the construction industry.
The Supplier Diversity Program is currently monitoring COBID subcontracting and Workforce participation on the Multnomah County Library Capital Bond Project. Please visit the webpage below for more information on the historic transformations taking place at Multnomah County Libraries.
Additional program information and resources are available on each programs webpage below.
For more information on these programs, please contact Maggie Chavez, Supplier Diversity Officer at 971-917-1976 or Maggie.Chavez@multco.us.