Authorizing Council's Committee on Commerce & Economic Development to investigate and hold hearings to determine whether the City of Philadelphia should develop a local Mentor-Protégé Program to enhance the capacity of Minority, Women or Disabled Owned Enterprises to compete for procurement opportunities in the Philadelphia metropolitan marketplace.

WHEREAS, On May 10, 2007, the City Council of Philadelphia approved Bill No. 060226-AA, requiring all entities with City contracts valued at $1 million or more to have a plan in place for ensuring the participation of minorities, women and disabled owned businesses. This plan, formally known as an Economic Opportunity Plan (EOP), is a commitment by the project owner or contractor to use best and good faith efforts to provide opportunities for Minority-Owned, Women-Owned and Disabled-Owned Business Enterprises (collectively known as M/W/DSBEs”). The EOP legislation was amended in 2010 in Bill No. 100134-A to include all City contracts starting at $250,000 and subsequently to add additional reporting requirements; and

WHEREAS, On December 10, 2015 the Office of the City Controller issued its report entitled “Diversity and Inclusion Program Review,” which found that “A shortage exists, in many fields in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, of minority and women owned enterprises with the capacity to effectively compete as primes and subcontractors in the mainstream”; and

WHEREAS, To address this shortfall the Controller’s report recommended the establishment of a robust local Mentor-Protégé Program designed to entice large prime contractors to partner with small businesses to offer administrative, programmatic technical training and provide additional guidance on how to compete in the marketplace outside of the City’s Economic Opportunity Plans and to build long-term relationships; and

WHEREAS, Numerous governmental and private mentor-protégé programs are being utilitized in other cities as vehicles to foster sustainable and equitable business development, particularly for minority, women and other disadvantaged owned businesses; and

WHEREAS, A local mentor-protégé program should adopt the best practices of successful programs like the ones which have been established by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Program, the Illinois Tollway, the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Port of Portland and programs which have been adopted in the cities of Baltimore, Chicago and Houston. All of these programs include elements of The Stempel Plan, a model mentor-protégé program for the construction industry; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia’s economy is on the rise, according to a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Building permits are at their highest levels in decades. This steady improvement creates the perfect opportunity for M/W/DSBEs to grow and develop their capacities, especially in the construction industry; and

WHEREAS, The mentor-protégé relationship should include a development plan which outlines goals and expectations, monitoring and reporting provisions, duration of the relationship and services and resources to be provided by the mentor to the protégé; and

WHEREAS, The mentor-protégé program must be designed so that M/W/DSBEs become self-sufficient, competitive and profitable business enterprises; and

WHEREAS In a City where women and minorities comprise over half of the population it is imperative to afford them every opportunity to achieve economic self-sufficiency and parity with white male owned business enterprises; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes Council’s Committee on Commerce & Economic Development to investigate and hold hearings to determine whether the City of Philadelphia should develop a local Mentor-Protégé Program to enhance the capacity of Minority, Women or Disabled Owned Enterprises to compete for procurement opportunities in the Philadelphia metropolitan marketplace.

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