Executive Orders Address Findings from 2020 Disparity Study

A set of executive orders aimed at instituting a more robust race and gender-conscious program within Cuyahoga County’s procurement procedures were issued Thursday, January 7 by County Executive Armond Budish. The Executive Orders address findings from a 2020 disparity study which revealed that, despite good efforts by the County, there is a disparity between the number of available Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MBE/WBEs) and the number of those firms that have been awarded contracts from the County.

“The County spends many millions of dollars on contracted services. I want to make sure that everyone who is qualified has an opportunity to work with us,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “We have done a lot to address race and gender disparities in the County’s contracts over the years but the results of this latest Disparity Study show that we must do more and so we will.”

The Executive Orders are designed to increase the visibility and transparency of the availability of contracts, ensure that the Office of Procurement and Diversity establishes set goals for minority owned businesses, and expands the County’s Small Business Enterprise (SBE) set aside program, which allows for reserving some bids, RFPs, and RFQs solely for SBEs, among other initiatives.

The Executive Orders also address the County’s Declaration of Racism as a Public Health Crisis, issued in 2020 and created to reduce structural/systemic racism and the long-standing disparities between Black and White people and implement policy changes in response to findings and recommendations from the County Equity Commission and the Cuyahoga County Citizens Advisory Council on Equity.  

Executive Order No. EO 2021-004 - January 7, 2021
Declaration and Order Regarding Increased Use of the Small Business Set aside Program in Conjunction with the Cuyahoga County MWBE Contracting Program

Executive Order No. EO 2021-003 - January 7, 2021
Declaration and Order Regarding Outreach and Compliance with the Cuyahoga County MWBE Contracting Program

Executive Order No. EO 2021-002 - January 7, 2021
Declaration and Order Regarding Advance Posting of Bids in Conjunction with the Cuyahoga County MWBE Contracting Program

Executive Order No. EO 2021-001 - January 7, 2021
Declaration and Order Regarding Goals to Address Disparity in Contracting by Cuyahoga County