Government procurement from small businesses: Advancing racial equity and removing barriers to participation

Via procurement, federal, state, and local governments have incredible power of the purse. But public contracts have historically been distributed inequitably, and recent court cases have challenged the ability to target supports based on race or ethnicity.

What is the future of equity-focused procurement programs? And how can we remove barriers to participation in government procurement apart from equity programs? The Urban Institute and the Open Contracting Partnership invite you to a panel discussion with experts in the field to discuss these questions.

Speakers:

Jennifer Bradley, Senior Fellow, Kresge Foundation
Kathrin Frauscher, Deputy Executive Director, Open Contracting Partnership
Neha Gupta, Senior Advisor, Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab
Colette Holt, Attorney, Colette Holt & Associates
André Lima, Director, Supplier Diversity, Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, City of Boston
Michael Owh, Chief Deputy Director, Los Angeles County Internal Services Department
Dan Symon, Managing Partner, Gartner
Brett Theodos, Senior Fellow, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, Urban Institute