Socially Responsible Procurement Policies
The City should put its muscle behind real community economic development by changing its contracting purchasing policies to support local businesses, mandating corporate responsibility and community economic development goals.
1. Create a point system for city procurement that incentivizes contracting with businesses that meet the City’s economic development goals of maximum local multiplier, living wages, local ownership, and/or community and worker control.
We need to implement a point system for direct contracting with socially useful subcontractors (that meet goals of local and community ownership, local employment, high wages, etc.). This may require “unbundling” contracts, so that portions of a general contract can be subcontracted directly to socially useful subcontractors. The City’s existing Sweatfree Ordinance needs to be expanded, strengthened and enforced. City departments often use loop-holes to get around the policy. It also does not apply to the installation of goods that are purchased.
