Authorizing the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings to better understand the local purchasing goal set by the Administration in response to Council Member Thomas's Keep it Local bill, to assess the progress made toward that goal, and to offer a forum to discuss best practices in this space going forward to ensure that the City of Philadelphia always looks first to forward its homegrown small and medium sized businesses when making purchasing decisions.

WHEREAS, Council Member Thomas passed his Keep it Local bill mandating that the administration annually set a goal for local procurement, explain how it intends to reach the goal and if the goal is missed what corrective action is being taken to achieve the goal the following year; and

WHEREAS, The Keep it Local law came into effect on July 1, 2021 and the initial goal was set at 58%; and

WHEREAS, The City must show leadership in local procurement if its efforts to encourage local anchor institutions and businesses and nonprofits across the city to buy local; and

WHEREAS, One of City Council’s core functions is to provide oversight and community input into issues of general community interest and concern; and

WHEREAS, It has been six months into the first year of local procurement goal setting and we must ensure that the progress on this is maintained and built upon; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Commerce and Economic Development hold hearings to better understand the local purchasing goal set by the Administration in response to Council Member Thomas’s Keep it Local bill, to assess the progress made toward that goal, and to offer a forum to discuss best practices in this space going forward to ensure that the City of Philadelphia always looks first to forward its homegrown small and medium sized businesses when making purchasing decisions.

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