►
From YouTube: Committee on Government Operations on April 8, 2021
Description
Docket #0400 - Petition for a special law re: Uniform Procurement Act
A
Okay,
everyone
we're
just
going
to
go
ahead
and
get
started
good
morning.
I'm
city
council,
lydia
edwards,
chair
of
the
committee
on
government
ops.
It
is
thursday
april
8
2021.
we're
here
today
for
a
virtual
working.
Excuse
me
virtual
hearing
on
docket
zero,
four
zero,
zero
participation
for
special
law
regarding
uniform
procurement
act.
This
matter
was
sponsored
by
counselor
anissa
sabi
george
and
was
referred
to
the
committee
on
march
3rd
2021..
A
A
The
public
may
watch
this
hearing
via
live
stream
at
www.boston.gov
city
dash,
council
dash
tv
and
also
on
xfinity
8
rcn82
and
verizon
964.,
we'll
also
be
rebroadcasted
at
a
later
date.
Written
comments
may
be
sent
to
the
committee
email
at
ccc.go
at
boston.gov
and
will
be
made
part
of
the
record
and
available
to
all
counselors.
A
A
We
have
some
advocates,
including
aaron
fowler,
a
legal
fellow
for
the
lawyers
for
civil
rights,
sigun
idol
president
and
ceo
of
becma.
I've
missed
anybody
who
is
on
here.
Please
raise
your
yellow
hand,
be
sure
to
announce,
I
see
drew
smith
and
the
treasury
is
also
here.
My
apologies
drew,
and
I
think
that's
it
again.
If
that
we
will
likely
go
through
the
panel.
Oh
someone's
did.
I
miss
somebody.
A
C
C
This
home
rule
petition
is
not
only
the
is
not
the
only
thing
we
need
to
fix,
but
it
is
a
start
and
would
give
us
more
latitude
to
negotiate
procurement
contracts
and
subcontractors
in
the
long
term.
We
know
we
need
to
move
towards
a
more
equitable
procurement
system.
Sorry,
that
word
always
gets
me.
I
think
it's
I
don't
know
if
it's
a
boston
accent
in
order
to
do
so,
we
must
change
the
rules
and
practices
that
actively
make
it
difficult
for
the
city
to
contr
contract
with
mbes
and
wbes.
C
I
believe
this
home
rule
petition
will
be
one
of
the
necessary
and
important
steps
we
need
to
take.
I
know
this
that
some
of
the
other
issues
that
we
need
to
fix
will
be
come
up
today,
including
the
certification
process,
the
actual
bid
system
and
building
in,
in
a
more
accountable,
more
accountability,
to
meet
our
goals
across
the
city.
C
D
E
Yeah
counselor
counselor
asabi
george
counselor
edwards.
I
apologize
for
that.
I
was
off
off-screen
just
want
to
say
thank
you
to
counselor
sabe
george
council
edwards
for
their
leadership
on
this
in
this
working
session.
This
important
issue
ensuring
that
all
minority-owned
businesses
in
women-owned
businesses
are
supported
by
our
city
and
have
the
opportunity
to
secure
city
contracts
is
critical
in
terms
of
racial
and
economic
equity.
E
I
support
the
effort
to
make
our
city's
procurement
process
more
equitable
and
give
our
minority
women-owned
businesses
a
better
shot
at
doing
business
for
our
city.
I
don't
support
this
100
percent.
I
supported
200
percent
and
just
as
a
way
of
background
of
the
five
people
on
my
staff,
four
of
them
are
women
of
color.
So
I
intentionally
wanted
to
make
sure
my
office
is
diverse
and
recruitment
is
a
critical
part
of
that
making
sure
that
you
spend
enough
time.
E
F
Thank
you
so
much
counselor
edwards.
I
also
just
want
to
thank
folks
thank
counselor,
savvy
george,
specifically
for
bringing
us
forward
before
I
became
a
counselor.
I
worked
at
the
boston
housing
authority
and
became
deeply
familiar
with
the
constraints
of
state
procurement,
law
and
federal
as
well,
and
there's
just
no
question
that
the
state
procurement
law
ties
our
hands
on
a
host
of
fronts,
and
I
think
that
figuring
out
how
to
how
to
change.
B
A
thank
you
to
the
chair
and
to
the
sponsors
for
calling
this
hearing.
As
the
chair
of
the
committee
of
small
business,
the
equity,
the
inequity
of
our
city
contracting
system
continues
to
be
a
major
issue
that
has
that
we've
been
fighting
for
to
address
community-based
organizations
like
becma,
have
made
it
clear
what
we
need
to
do
in
order
to
address
this
in
equity,
they
have
been
advocating
for
15
of
contracts
to
go
towards
minority
business
enterprises
and
a
combined
40
for
minority
and
women
business
enterprises.
B
I
think
that
we
have.
We
also
have
an
opportunity
in
this
conversation
to
reevaluate,
where
our
contracts
are
awarded,
but
how
they're
put
in
for
bidding.
The
supplier
portal
is
an
incredibly
complex
system,
and
we
all
know
that
some
of
our
office
have
tried
to
register
a
business
there
and
couldn't
even
get
past
the
first
page.
We
also
have
an
incredibly
large
contract
going
for
things
like
school
lunches,
which
could
be
broken
up
in
order
to
work
with
small
local
businesses
to
provide
local,
culturally
competent
foods.
I
think
that
this
special
law
is
great.
B
G
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
also
to
sponsor
council
savvy
george
for
filing.
This
is
a
hugely
important
issue.
As
a
city,
we
have
enormous
buying
power,
particularly
as
a
capital
city,
the
state,
and
we
need
to
be
deliberate
and
intentional
with
that
spending
to
make
sure
that
it's
done
fairly
and
efficiently.
In
addition
to
hammering
testimony,
I'm
also
interested
in
learning
more
about
the
technical
assistance
that
we
are
providing
and
should
continue
to
provide
businesses.
G
I
often
hear
one
of
the
main
challenges
in
bidding
for
a
city
contract
is
the
lack
of
the
back
of
the
house
capacity
to
do
the
oftentimes.
Quite
you
know
arduous
and
bidding
process,
but
also
the
tedious
paperwork.
So
I
think
we
need
to
be
working
to
eliminate
those
barriers
as
well
for
companies
as
well
as
the
profit
margins.
G
I
also
heard
loud
and
clear
from
some
of
our
previous
hearings
on
this
topic
is
that
the
margins
just
weren't
good
enough
for
folks
to
have
to
want
to
go
through
the
entire
process
and
again
again,
because
they
don't
have
sort
of
that
back
of
the
house,
support
oftentimes.
It
doesn't
make
it
worth
their
while
to
do
so,
so
I
think
that
we
also
need
to
look
at
that
a
little
bit.
I
know
that
so
we
have
the
the
lowest
bid
portion
of
this,
but
maybe
that
doesn't
always
need
to
be
the
case.
G
That
way,
it's
just
not
going
to
work
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
see
the
results
that
we're
seeing
now
so
look
forward
to
the
the
hearing
and
listen
to
folks
that
know
it
well
and
any
way
that
I
can
help
as
a
city-wide
counselor
happy
to
do
that,
to
both
the
lead
sponsor
and
the
groups.
The
advocacy
groups.
A
Thank
you
very
much.
I'm
going
to
now
turn
it
over
to
the
administration.
I
think
they
have
a
powerpoint
and
a
deck
to
present,
and
I
I'll
just
turn
it
over
collectively
to
the
administration.
I'm
not
sure
how
you
are
scheduled,
your
order.
I
know
some
people
are
here
just
for
backup.
Some
people
are
going
to
be
testifying
after
the
administration,
we're
going
to
go
to
the
advocates
and
then
we'll
go
through
a
round
for
the
city
councilors
so
to
the
administration.
H
Great,
thank
you,
chairwoman
edwards,
so
I
will
go
ahead
and
start
giving
kind
of
a
sort
of
context
and
I'll
turn
it
over
to
selena
emma
handy
as
well.
So
good
morning,
good
morning,
chairwoman,
edwards
councillor
savvy
george
councillor
bach
councillor,
breeden
council,
flaherty,
councillor
flynn,
councilman
mejia.
H
Thank
you
for
allowing
us
to
testify,
on
behalf
of
the
administration
on
this
homeroom
petition
for
uniform
procurement
act
just
wanted
to
let
you
know
that
we
do
have
a
heart
stop
at
11
o'clock,
but
we
are
happy
to
answer
and
follow
up.
Do
any
follow-up
after
that
as
well.
So
again,
my
name
is
midori
markawa.
I
am
the
chief
of
economic
development
for
the
city
of
boston.
H
I
have
with
me
today
selena
barias
milner,
the
chief
of
equity
for
the
city
as
of
yesterday,
and
emma
handy
cfo
for
the
city
who
all
be
speaking
on
the
city's
ecuador
procurement
efforts
to
date
and
some
of
the
next
steps
and
announcement
that
mayor
janie
made
yesterday.
So
we
look
forward
to
sharing
the
details
of
that
in
a
bit.
H
So,
as
you
may
remember,
in
february,
the
city
released
the
result
of
his
first
disparity
study,
which
was
done
in
18
years,
so
just
to
provide
a
little
more
context
on.
Why
did
we
have
to
do
a
disparity
study
and
what
is
the
purpose
of
the
disparity
study?
So
in
1989,
the
supreme
court
ruled
that
giving
procurement
preference
to
minority-owned
businesses
was
unconstitutional
unless
that
preference
is
narrowly
tailored
to
address
specific
documented
discriminations.
H
So,
in
order
to
comply
with
this
ruling,
city
states
and
other
public
agencies
around
the
nation
needed
sufficient
data
to
legally
justify
a
procurement
program
that
creates
a
goal:
preference
or
set
aside
based
on
race
or
gender.
So
a
disparity
study
is
the
most
important
and
widely
used
tool
that
cities
use
to
stand
up.
Supplier
diversity,
programs
put
simply
a
disparity
study
evaluates
whether
a
particular
jurisdiction
has
a
documentable
pattern
of
underutilizing
minority
and
women
contractors.
H
If
a
disparity
study
shows
that
there
is
a
substantial
disparity
between
the
availability
and
utilization
of
certain
groups,
they
can
provide
legal
justification
to
create
a
goals
program
based
on
the
specific
disparity
showing
the
study
so
based
on
the
results
of
the
disparity
study
released
in
february.
The
administration
is
now
in
the
process
of
building
a
program
that
is
narrowly
tailored
to
withstand
any
legal
challenges.
H
I
I
So,
following
the
the
completion
of
the
disparity
study
in
february,
the
administration
moved
immediately
to
enact
an
executive
order
that
one
accepts
the
results
of
the
disparity
study,
because
some
cities
do
the
disparity
studies
and
then
they
put
them
away
on
a
shelf
and
no
one
ever
knows
about
it,
but
one
we.
We
acknowledge
and
accept
the
the
findings
of
the
study
and
then
move
to
immediately
enact
some
of
the
recommendations,
including
establishing
an
overall
annual
spending
goal
for
the
city
based
on
the
availability
found
in
the
disparity
study.
I
The
recommended
goal
was
a
goal
of
17
percent
11
11
with
women-owned
businesses
and
six
percent
with
minority-owned
businesses.
However,
the
city
took
a
boulder
approach,
understanding
that,
in
some
cases,
availability
the
methodology
used
to
count.
Someone
as
available
is
that
they
perform
the
type
of
work
that
the
city
buys
they're
interested
in
city
contracting
they've,
previously
bid
on
city
contracts.
Those
are
very
a
very
you,
know,
conservative
definition
of
who's
available,
and
we
understand
that
a
lot
of
our
specifically
minority-owned
businesses
and
women-owned
businesses
face
barriers.
I
That
would
so
they
wouldn't
show
up
as
available,
although
they're
right
beneath
the
cusp.
So,
for
example,
there
might
be
minority-owned
businesses
that
haven't
already
been
on
a
city
contract,
so
they
wouldn't
have
been
counted
as
available
for
city
contracts.
So
we
took
you
know
with
a
lot
of
analysis.
We
took
the
the
bolder
measure,
understanding
that
there
are
people
out
there
that
could
be
competing,
that
we're
not
seeing
and
that
aren't
yet
in
the
pool.
I
So
we
we
adopted
the
goal
there
of
25
discretionary
spend
and
we
think
that
it's
one
that
we
need
to
work
hard
to
achieve,
but
that,
but
that
it
more
accurately
represents
who's
out
there.
We
also
set
the
timeline
that
within
six
months
we
would
we
would
set
up
the
process
for
establishing
race
and
gender
conscious
goals
on
individual
contracts,
which
is
how
you
get
to
that
25
percent,
and
so
you
don't
set
a
25
goal
on
every
contract.
I
You
you
look
at
industry
availability
for
each
contract
and
in
some
cases
it
might
be
a
higher
goal.
In
some
cases
it
might
be
a
lower
goal
and
that's
really
important,
because
that's
that's
exactly
what
chief
markawa
pointed
out
is
is
considered
narrowly
tailored
anytime.
You
do
blanket
anything
that
benefits
people
of
color
or
women.
Then
it
starts
to
raise
flags
which
is
a
bigger
problem,
but
that's
beyond
the
city's
control
at
this
point.
So
this
is
how
you
set
up
a
nearly
tailored
program.
We
believe
within
six
months.
I
The
last
piece
is
that
we're
going
to
require
goal
tracking
and
reporting
as
part
of
the
annual
budget
process,
and
so
we
we
count
on
your
partnership
to
to
really
be
the
accountability
arm
and
when
people
are
requesting
funds
for
the
following
year,
making
sure
that
they
met
their
department
level
goals
for
for
diverse
contracting.
And
so
I
think
that
that's
a
really
important
piece
is
to
look
ahead
and
look
back
as
well.
Next
slide,
so
other
efforts
that
that
we've
been
working
on.
We
set
up
a
coveted
relief
fund,
specifically
for
certified
businesses.
I
We've
been
really
stayed
on
top
of
our
outreach,
regardless
of
covid,
so
we've
moved
a
lot
of
our
sessions
online,
but
we're
still
doing
information
sessions
as
contracts
come
up.
We
are
doing
opportunity
fairs.
We
have
one
coming
up
on
april
28th
that
we
hope
that
you
will
be
sending
you
the
flyer
shortly
to
help
support
the
outreach
for
that.
I
It's
not
contract
specific.
It's
really
getting
vendors
ready
to
compete
for
for
contracts
in
their
industry
type,
and
so
they
know
what
are
the
general
procure?
What
are
the
relevant
procurement
laws?
Where
can
they
find
opportunities?
What
departments
buy
their
types
of
services?
So
it's
really
sort
of
a
boot
camp
for
people
getting
familiar
with
city
contracting.
I
Now,
for
the
disparity
study
just
want
to
highlight
we,
you
know-
chief
morocco
already
spoke
to
the.
The
purpose
of
the
study.
Just
want
to
highlight
that,
beyond
the
data
analysis
of
how
much
we've
spent
and
what
businesses
are
out
there,
that
we
could
have
been
contracting
with
there's
a
really
important
qualitative
component
in
hearing
directly
from
women
and
minority
owned
businesses
in
boston
and
in
the
region
about
barriers
that
they
face
both
in
contracting
with
the
city
of
boston,
but
also
in
operating
their
business
in
the
area.
I
J
So
what
we
did
is
required
that
certified
vendors
be
included
in
every
initial
procurement
by
asking
departments
to
check
the
list
of
certified
vendors
as
they
initiate
procurements
over
600
procurements
have
completed
that
new
process
since
october,
and
over
half
of
those
procurements
were
able
to
find
a
certified
business
to
solicit
to
now.
This
is
really
focused
on
the
top
end
of
the
funnel
right
who
we
are
sort
of
asking
to
bid
on
our
business.
J
It
doesn't
change
anything
about
sort
of
the
legal
framework
that
we
have
to
make
decisions
through,
which
is
in
part,
subject
of
our
conversation
today
through
30b,
but
it
is
really
important
because
it,
it
is
asking
departments
to
sort
of
take
a
fresh
look
at
who
might
be
out
there
in
the
environment
that
could
be
able
to
bid
on
their
business
and
ask
them
to
sort
of
come
into
the
city
of
boston.
To
think
about
doing
projects
with
us.
J
Another
element
of
that
work
is
that
we
have
work,
is
underway
to
put
forth
our
first
public
equitable
procurement
plan
as
part
of
the
fy
22
budget
process.
We
solicited
planning
documents
from
every
department
and
we
are
now
taking
that
information
and
summarizing
it
as
we
finalize
the
fy
22
budget,
so
that
that
can
be
shared
publicly
with
residents
with
businesses
with
the
public
so
that
they
can
understand
what
is
on
the
agenda
for
the
city
of
boston
to
pop
to
purchase
in
the
coming
year.
J
And
that
is
something
that
we've
heard
an
incredible
demand
for,
because
it
will
help
buyers
and
sorry
we'll
help.
Businesses
understand
what
types
of
things
the
city
buys
and
help
them
think
about
their
sort
of
business
planning
and
get
ahead
of
those
things.
So
this
will
be
our
first
one,
we're
very
excited
to
publish
our
first
one,
and
we
will
continue
to
make
it
more
mature
refine
it
make
it
more
robust
over
the
years
as
we
grow
that
program
and
project
we
we.
J
We've
changed
trained
over
300
purchasers
across
the
city
in
this
work,
and
so
I
think
you
know
the
data
coming
from
october
of
2020,
as
well
as
the
the
training
that
we've
enabled
our
employees
to
have
we'll
start
to
really
start
to
see
a
shift
in
a
sea
change
in
terms
of
how
the
city
is
approaching.
These
things.
I
Yes,
thank
you
so
much
so
just
to
wrap
up,
because
we
do
want
to
make
sure
we
have
plenty
of
time
for
your
questions.
We
we
have
launched
a
new
following
the
disparity
study.
One
of
the
key
areas
that
were
highlighted
was
the
need
for
capacity
building
and
supporting
a
lot
of
what
what
you
have
mentioned
in
your
opening
remarks.
I
So
the
first
step
towards
that
is
a
contracting
opportunity
fund,
which
is
to
help
businesses
that
are
aligned
with
the
types
of
work
that
the
city
procures
build
their
capacity
to
be
to
be
able
to
compete
for
for
city
contracts
or
to
be
able
to
to
bid
on
larger
contracts
than
they've
held.
So,
for
example,
if
someone
needs
an
extra
vehicle
or
any
other
type
of
investment
to
to
really
be
competitive,
we
we
hope
to
support
them
through
this
fund.
I
That's
opening
it
was
announced
yesterday,
but
it'll
be
opening
april
15th
and
we'll
folks
will
have
one
month
to
apply
we're
focusing
this
on
businesses
that
are
eligible
for
certification,
because
that
way
we
can
help
grow.
Our
our
pool
of
vendors
that
are
ready
to
do
business
with
the
city,
and
so
businesses
that
are
not
already
certified,
can
apply
for
certification
and
we'll
support
them
in
that
process,
so
that
we
can
continue
to
grow
our
vendor
pool.
I
We
also
announced
the
new
supplier
diversity
team,
and
so
we
now
have
a
data.
We've
hired
a
data
analyst,
a
program
monitor
that
will
be.
We
already
have
one
program
monitor
so
now,
we'll
have
two,
then
those
are
that
position
works
directly
with
departments
on
their
upcoming
procurements
and
and
helps
them
strategize
on
outreach
and
award
of
the
contracts.
I
That's
a
full-time
staff
person
that
will
be
dedicated
to
helping
businesses,
both
in
capacity
building
technical
assistance
and
just
navigating
the
procurement
process,
and
so
we're
really
excited
to
to
move
that
position
along
and
to
to
add
that
to
the
the
tools
that
we'll
be
using
to
diversify.
Our
spend.
A
H
C
I
Yeah,
so
we
send
out
a
monthly
newsletter.
You
know
businesses
can
look
anytime
at
either
the
bids
page
or
the
city
record
to
see
open
opportunities,
but
we
do
a
city.
We
do
a
monthly
newsletter
just
to
refresh
people's
memories,
that
they
should
be
looking
at
these
resources.
We
highlight
upcoming
opportunities
and
then
we
also
hold
weekly
certification
office
hours
and
they
they
really
span
beyond
certification.
I
But
it's
a
space
for
minority
and
women-owned
businesses
to
come
talk
to
us
about
any
of
their
questions
and
we
have
weekly
small
business
office
hours
as
well
in
the
small
business
call.
So
those
are
sort
of
ongoing
weekly
resources,
monthly
resources,
and
then
we
we
have
information
sessions
as
contract
opportunities
come
up
that
that
line
up
with
our
vendor
pool
and
so
we'll
partner
with
a
department
just
so
that
people
can.
We
can
really
highlight
a
specific
opportunity.
C
I
Absolutely
so
we
have
our
certified
business
directory,
which
is
a
great
place
for
folks
to
go
and
now
through
this
procurement,
equitable
procurement
process.
What
it
really
did
is
all
those
procurements
that
are
not
publicly
advertised
so
between
10
and
50.
Actually,
anything
under
50
that
is
usually
we
just
need
three
quotes.
So
for
every
one
of
those
procurements,
you
now
have
to
find
a
certified
vendor
to
invite
and
so
we're
we're
building
that
into
our
process.
I
D
Madam
chair,
I'm
I'm
just
so
in
terms
of
the
certified
business
directory.
Is
it
open
just
to
businesses
that
are
based
in
boston
or
just
go
further
out
than
that?
I
know
you
know
with
with
the
gentrification
of
our
neighborhoods.
A
lot
of
our
small
businesses
are
being
displaced
and
they're,
ending
up
relocating
to
waltham
and
and
watertown
and
framingham,
and
further
out
so
you
know,
so
they
wear
boston-based
businesses
or
their
families
who
started
them
started
off
in
boston,
but
they've
had
to
leave
so
and
just
in
terms
of
the
catchment
area.
I
You
don't
have
to
be
a
boston-based
business.
There
is
a
certification,
that's
particular
to
boston-based
businesses,
which
is
called
a
small
and
local
business
certification.
And
then
we
do.
You
are
able
to
search
you
know
by
neighborhood
or
city
if
you
specifically
want
to
target
boston
based,
but
but
there's
no
requirement
that
you're
based
in
boston
to
be
certified
in
any
of
our
other
categories.
I
I
wish
I
had
the
exact
numbers,
but
to
give
you
an
example,
so
we
on
a
month-to-month
basis,
we
usually
have
one
to
eight
applicants
for
certification
and
after
we
launched
our
certified
business
relief
fund,
we
got
75
applications
in
the
first
month
and
above
100
in
the
second
month.
So
that's
that's
more
than
we
would
see
in
one
year.
I
I
I
definitely
think
that
the
capacity
building,
support
and
and
the
financial
support
is,
is
really
attractive
to
businesses,
we're
still
rolling
out
our
our
technical
assistance
on
procurement
and
so
we'll
see.
I
don't
want
to
speak
before.
We
see
the
results
of
that
work,
but
but
I
know
that
you
know
that's.
The
intention
is
that
people
that
might
be
might
not
have
been
able
to
submit
a
proposal
in
the
past
will
not
have
the
support
to
do
that.
Very
good.
E
Thank
you,
council
edwards,
thanking
selena
for
your
presentation
as
well
selena,
I'm
just
curious.
I
didn't
hear
any
mention
of
veterinarian
companies.
What
do
we?
What
do
we?
What
is
the
city
doing
on
veteran-owned
companies
in
terms
of
including
them
in
this
process?
And
what
is
the
progress
of
helping
veterans
get
some
of
these
contracts?
Is
it
I
just
want
to
get
your
thoughts
on
that?
It's
been
a
subject.
That's
obviously
important
to
me
and
important
to
a
lot
of
residents
as
well.
I
I
I
I
Yeah,
so
what
happens?
The
veteran
certification
is
actually
done
by
the
va,
and
then
the
part
that
we
do
is
if
someone
that's
certified
by
the
va
says
hey.
I
want
a
city
of
boston
certification
as
a
small
business,
so
I'm
going,
I
want
to
join
your
directory.
So
it's
a
tiny
pool
of
folks
who
have
done
that.
So
we
actually
don't
know
there.
There
could
very
well
be
businesses
that
were
that
we're
contracting
with.
I
know
there
were
a
few
with
some
of
the
coveted
response,
some
that
were
large
veteran
owned
businesses.
I
E
F
Thank
you,
councillor
edwards,
and
thanks
so
much
to
the
team
for
these
presentations.
I
think
it's
you
know.
I
think
it's
it's
been
so
frustrating
everybody
just
like
you
know
not
having
the
disparity,
study
and
kind
of
wanting
to
implement
these
things,
and
yet
I
I
know
again
from
just
the
prior
experience
I
had
how
critical
that
piece
is
to
us,
knowing
that
we're
going
to
be
able
to
defend
these
new
things
in
court.
So
I'm
just
I'm
really
grateful
at
least
that
we're
here.
F
I,
I
wonder,
I
wonder
if
you
could
speak
a
little
bit
too
on
the.
I
think.
First
of
all
that
just
you
know,
setting
up
our
automatic
system
such
that
we're
inviting
diverse
suppliers
in
will
make
a
difference
and
that
there's
a
bunch
of
the
things
you
guys
are
doing
the
clinics
and
stuff
that
will
definitely
make
a
difference.
F
It
comes
up,
for
instance,
that
the
you
know,
project
of
fitting
our
schools
for
windows.
Is
this
very
like
bespoke
thing,
and
it
takes
usually
two
summers
and
it's
like
it
just.
It
seems
like
a
pipeline
of
work
that
we
would
benefit
from
supporting
an
ecosystem
of
suppliers
who,
frankly,
were
were
local
and
efficient
at
it
and,
like
we
kind
of
have
an
indefinite
pipeline
of
windows
to
be
replaced.
F
So
I
just
I
wonder
what
we're
doing,
not
just
in
terms
of
capacity
building
with
kind
of
the
existing
field,
but
thinking
about
are
there
places
that
we
could
entice?
You
know
diverse
companies
to
maybe
expand
their
business
into
that
match
with
some
of
the
city's
developing
needs.
So
I
don't
know
if
you
could
speak
to
that
a
bit.
I
Yeah
absolutely
so
to
your
first
question,
the
the
disparity
study
has
really
opened
our
eyes
to
businesses
that
are
out
there
that
are
diverse,
that
do
perform
the
work
that
the
city
buys,
because
I
think
that
that's
always
the
availability
is
always
the
missing
piece
right,
and
so
we
have.
You
might
talk
to
a
city,
buyer
who
says
you
know
I
I've
never
found
it.
I
You
know
your
directory
doesn't
have
someone
in
this
line
of
work,
but
now
the
disparity
study
has
identified
and
we
actually
have
names
and-
and
some
leads
on
some
of
those
companies.
So
that's
why,
with
this
capacity
building
fund,
we're
really
focusing
the
lines
of
work
the
city
does
we
don't
want
to
make
it
overly
complicated?
But
we
want
people
to
understand
what
the
city
buys
so
that
they
know
like
that.
They
should
be
bidding
on
it.
I
You
know,
because
for
some
industries,
you
know
some
industries
are
built
entirely
around
city
contracting,
but
there's
a
lot
of
others
that
that
they
may
not
know
that
there's
opportunities
for
them
because
they're
like
oh,
I'm,
not
in
construction,
but
we
do
a
lot
more
than
just
construction.
So
I
think,
that's
part
of
the
the
capacity
building
fund
and
then
to
what
chief
handy
mentioned
in
terms
of
putting
together
a
buying
plan
for
the
city
and
really
identifying
what
we're
going
to
buy.
We
actually
held
community
briefings
for
the
disparity
study
and
like
in
everyone.
I
Most
of
the
questions
were,
what
does
the
city
buy?
Do
you
buy
this
and
there
are
a
lot
of
daycare
providers
that
were
like
do
I
have
an
opportunity
where,
like
not
directly,
but
we
have
resources
for
you,
you
know
so
so
I
think
that
that
education-
it's
not
really
intuitive
what
we
buy.
So
I
think
that's
really
huge
and-
and
I
I
love
your
idea
about
the
the
school
building
authority
and
looking
at
ways
to
diversify,
diversify
the
suppliers.
I
There
might
be
plumbing,
there
might
be
electricians,
and
I
know
that
they
do
incredible
work
with
their
outreach
to
make
sure
that
diverse
vendors
know
about
those
opportunities
and
there's
a
lot
of
opportunities
that
are
perfect
for
actually
a
smaller
vendor.
That
a
large
vendor
wouldn't
wouldn't
really
have
be
interested
in,
and
so
I
think
that
we
can
definitely
replicate
that
on
as
needed
contracts.
You
know
throughout
the
city
and
and
state
as
well.
F
I
I
I
was
instructed
by
counselor
edwards
to
be
brief,
so
I'll
just
make
two
comments
instead
of
a
further
question,
so
one
thing
would
just
be.
I
really
think
you
know
it's
a
separate
conversation
we're
having,
but
a
really
related
one
about
kind
of
a
conservation
core
and
thinking
about.
The
big
picture
thing
for
me
is
like
to
that.
F
Buying
plan
perspective
like
what
are
the
whole
areas
where
the
city's
gonna
drive
a
market,
whether
it's
through
our
direct
work
or
frankly,
with
the
carbon
pricing
things
that
we're
going
to
put
in
through
a
regulatory
framework.
The
you
know.
I
think
that
the
appetite
for
building
retrofits
in
the
city
is
going
to
shift,
and
I
just
feel
like
a
piece
of
this
needs
to
really
be.
That
needs
to
be
us
being
like
hey.
F
You
know
is,
I
think,
at
some
point.
People
will
ask
especially
up
at
the
state
well
how
much
of
a
premium
are
you
willing
to
pay
as
the
city
for
things
being
diverse,
and
I
think
frankly
that
at
some
point
we
have
to
have
those
numbers
like
because
it's
part
of
making
the
case
for
it,
since
obviously,
30b
is
designed
to
make
sure
that
the
city
is
getting
the
best
price
on
everything
right.
F
That
was
the
sort
of
original
conception
of
it
and
I
don't
think,
there's
a
there's
a
way
around
that
framing
without
explicitly
addressing
like
well.
No,
we
think
because
we
have
a
dual
goal
about.
You
know:
driving
a
more
equal
economy.
This
is
the
premium
we're
willing
to
pay
for
that
more
diverse
thing,
and
I
just
think
we
really
need
you
guys
to
track
that
data
on
what
bids
look
like
coming
in,
so
just
really
wanted
to
flag
that.
But
that's
my
time.
Thank
you.
Councillor
edwards.
A
Thank
you
before
I
go
on
to
other
councils.
I
wanted
to
make
sure
I
read
into
the
record
a
letter
from
councillor
campbell,
dear
chairwoman,
edwards
and
colleagues
of
the
committee
on
government
operations.
I
regretfully
cannot
attend
today's
hearing
on
docket
0-400
petition
for
special
law.
Regarding
your
program
act.
A
I
will
be.
I
will
be
ably
represented
by
a
member
of
my
staff
at
today's
hearing
and
look
forward
to
reviewing
today's
hearing,
recording
and
committee
report
and
working
with
the
committee
on
any
recommended
next
set:
sincerely
andrea
campbell,
boston
city
council,
district,
four
councillor,
mejia.
B
Thank
you.
So
I
do
appreciate
counselor
block.
She
took
one
of
my
questions,
so
I'm
glad
that
you
answered
it.
Thank
you
to
the
administration,
just
kind
of
want
to
follow
that
thread
a
little
bit
in
regards
to
within
the
the,
in
terms
of
the
feedback
that
those
who
are
applying
for
contracts
just
curious.
What
kind
of
feedback
are
we
providing
to
those
who
don't
get
the
contracts
like?
Are
we
providing
technical
assistance?
B
B
I
Absolutely
so
I
know
that
we
don't
have
a
lot
of
time,
so
I
will
send
you
the
advisory
council
list
I'll,
send
it
to
to
all
of
you.
It's
also
on
our
on
our
webpage
so
I'll
make
sure
that
you
have
that
link
on
our
boston.gov
slash
econ
dev
equity.
So
we
have
the
the
members
of
this
the
advisory
council
on
there.
The
building
the
bench
would
love
to
to
work
with
you.
I
So
we
are
working
with
the
health
commission
as
part
of
their
anti-racism
work,
to
make
our
certification
materials
that
explain
the
process
and
the
benefits
multilingual
and
there's.
Definitely
we
need
to
do
a
lot
of
work
overall
with
certification
just
to
make
it
a
more
streamlined
process
and
that'll
be
part
of
our
one
of
the
announcements
yesterday
was
investing
in
vendor
management
and
compliance
tracking
system,
and
so
we
are
putting
out
an
rfp
to
do
that,
to
bring
our
certification
process
online
and
always
looking
to
see
how
we
can
streamline
it.
I
And,
lastly,
just
in
terms
of
the
briefings,
so
we
held
three
briefings
at
three.
You
know
the
three
different
times
of
the
day
the
morning
noon
and
evening
on
different
days.
All
of
them
were
had
live
interpretation
in
five
languages
and
they
were
all
recorded
as
well
for
folks
that
couldn't
attend
it.
We
also
did
the
outreach
in
those
five
languages
and
all
the
materials
regarding
the
disparity
study
have
been
translated
in
our
on
the
disparity
study
website,
which
is
just
boston.gov
disparity.
So
the
all
the
information
is
there
and
it's
multilingual.
I
We
did
have
people
asking
questions
during
the
q
a
in
spanish
and
it
was
nice
that
I
could
just
answer
them
directly
and
not
have
to
bring
the
interpreter
on,
but
we
had
interpreters
on
hand
if
other
languages
came
up
so
we
are.
We
are
looking
to
always
make
that
more
accessible
and
would
would
welcome
on
to
any
other
ideas
that
you're
hearing
from
from
your
constituents
or
just
anyone
else.
B
B
We
did
some
fundraising
with
local
nonprofits
and
we
were
able
to
create
a
culturally
responsive
food
project
where
people
can
purchase
food
right
in
their
local
neighborhoods
and
I'm
curious
as
we
start
thinking
about
the
recovery
efforts.
What
what
are
we
thinking
in
terms
of
being
able
to
support
small
businesses,
restaurants,
convenience
stores
to
kind
of
both
deal
with
some
of
the
food
insecurity
issues,
as
well
as
being
able
to
support
some
of
these
minority
businesses
right
in
our
neighborhoods
to
be
able
to
help
provide
culturally
competent
foods
in
our
neighborhoods.
I
And
so
I
know
that
that
bodegas
are
part
of
the
list
of
kind
of
approved
vendors
and
they
they
can
also
suggest
other
vendors.
So
I
know
that
that's
you
know,
I
think
the
it's
almost
a
million
dollars
going
to
local
food
suppliers,
but
definitely
my
colleague
natalia,
would
have
the
most
information
on
that.
I
don't
know
chief
markawa,
if
you
have
anything
to
add
on
that
one.
H
Yeah,
no,
that's
you're
exactly
right,
so
we're
gonna
announce
this
initiative,
probably
in
the
next
week
or
two.
So
this
is
still
embargoed
fyi
but
and
it's
gonna
be
over
1.3
million
dollars
in
exactly
right,
culturally,
appropriate
food
and
making
sure
that
we
can
support
our
immigrant
and
companies
of
color
through
that
initiative.
So
thank
you.
G
G
How
many
total
positions
will
be
added
to
support
this
type
of
work,
particularly
as
it
pertains
to
capacity
building
for
our
businesses,
and
I've
been
a
long-time
advocate
for
helping
folks,
as
I
mentioned
in
my
opening,
with
helping
them
with
the
back
of
the
house
so
that
they
can
compete
for
these
contracts.
And
then
the
second
question
is
what
I
know,
obviously,
that
the
people
can
learn
about
the
boston
contracting
opportunity
fund
on
the
through
the
live
webinars.
G
J
J
You
know
sort
of
refreshing
how
the
city
approaches
procurements.
The
first
order
of
business
is
really
all
of
the
work
associated
with
equitable
procurement.
Both
the
2019
executive
order,
the
disparity
study
implementation,
the
plan
that
selena
referenced
that
we're
building
over
the
next
six
months.
That
is
more
than
a
full-time
job
for
one
person,
and
so
that
is
the
focus
I
think
over
time.
J
This
this
person
will
also
work
on
things
that
we
know
are
priorities
in
across
the
city
like
green
procurements
and
also
just
the
nuts
and
bolts
of
sort.
How
do
we
continue
to
be
more
efficient
and
improve
and
be
more
transparent?
So
his
name
is
michael
miller.
He
starts
with
us
next
week
and
we're
incredibly
excited
to
have
him,
and
then
I
think
we
have
another
four
positions
at
oed
that
are
either
sort
of
in
process
or
will
be
hired.
G
No,
that
was
the
first
question.
The
second
one
was
just.
I
know
that
folks
can
join
on
live.
You
can
go
on
to
the
live
webinar
to
sort
of
learn
about
the
boston
contracting
opportunity
fund.
I
just
wanted
to
know
what
additional
outreach
is
being
done
as
it
pertains
to
our
main
streets
programs
at
chamber
of
commerce,
and
how
can
we,
as
a
council,
be
helpful
in
amplifying
that.
G
Yes,
so
so
folks
can
go
on
to
the
live
webinar,
they
can
learn
about
the
boston
contracting
opportunity
fund.
So
the
question
is
what
additional
outreach
is
being
done
about
the
fund
and
particularly
as
it
pertains
to
our
main
streets
and
chamber
of
commerce's?
Are
we
in
regular
contact
with
them,
letting
them
know
about
the
fund,
letting
them
know
about
the
opportunities
that
exist
with
the
city
of
boston
and
vending
opportunities,
in
particular,.
H
Yeah,
so
we
do
have
a
weekly
small
business
call
and
where
we
engage
over
a
hundred
something
200
small
businesses
to
let
them
know
about
the
fund
opportunity
as
well.
As
you
know,
we
have
a
weekly
newsletter
that
go
out
to
16
000
small
businesses
for
all
the
opportunities
and
resources
the
city
can
offer,
and
we
did.
H
You
know,
work
with
a
third
party
marketing
firm
to
help
us
kind
of
outreach
to
wider
network
of
the
chamber
of
commerce,
the
latinx
chamber
of
commerce
and
there's,
like
30
or
40
collaboratives
in
boston
and
greater
boston
area,
to
do
additional
outreach
on
that.
So
we're
excited
that
we
can
kind
of
go
above
and
beyond
in
terms
of
our
reach.
I
G
A
C
A
A
If
my
colleagues
had
any
other
follow-up
questions
in
this
half
hour,
please
raise
your
hands
and
if
not,
we
could
go
just
do
the
to
the
advocates
to
start
their
presentation,
seeing
no
hands
I'm
going
to
turn
it
then
over
to
aaron
fowler
from
lawyers
for
civil
rights
and
if
counselor,
wu
or
rojo
or
any
of
the
counselors
come
back.
Please
raise
your
hand,
and
I
will
put
you
in
line
for
questions.
Go
ahead.
Counselor
counselor
erin
go
ahead.
K
Thank
you
and
thank
you
all
so
much
for
having
me.
I
do
apologize
in
advance
if
there's
any
construction
noises
going
on,
there
was
just
someone
jackhammering
down
the
street.
Hopefully
that
will
be
okay.
I
do
live
in
beacon
hill,
so
maybe
counselor
block,
and
I
can
have
a
conversation
afterwards,
but
thanks
again
for
having
me
my
name
is
erin
fowler,
I'm
an
attorney
with
lawyers
for
civil
rights.
I
am
testifying
today
in
support
of
the
minority
contractors
that
we
represent.
K
Lpr
proudly
represents
becma
amplify
latinx
and
the
greater
boston
latino
network
in
illegal
action,
challenging
the
city
of
boston's
discriminatory
contracting
system.
In
february
after
the
city's
disparity
study
was
released,
lcr
filed
a
complaint
with
the
doj
and
the
dot
under
title
vi.
Title
vi
prohibits
discrimination
in
federally
assisted
programs
on
the
basis
of
race,
color
or
national
origin.
In
this
complaint
we
asked
the
dog
j
and
the
dot
to
investigate
the
city's
public
contracting
system.
K
As
to
the
proposal
here,
some
of
our
close
community
allies
have
expressed
concern
about
this
proposal.
So
we
want
to
emphasize
that
community
engagement
and
outreach
is
going
to
be
absolutely
critical
for
any
solution
that
is
proposed.
Specifically
as
to
this
proposal.
We
want
to
identify
two
important
areas
for
your
consideration.
K
First,
the
proposal
states
that
businesses
should
be
duly
certified
by
the
massachusetts
office
of
minority
and
women
business
assistance.
This
effectively
creates
certification
process,
as
discussed
by
many
counselors
today.
This
proposal
does
not
provide
resources
to
support
mbes
through
the
certification
process.
K
At
lcr,
we
have
worked
closely
with
hundreds
of
minority
owned
and
women-owned
businesses
that
are
not
certified
by
the
city
or
the
state,
because
it
is
extremely
onerous
and
time-consuming,
as
people
did
it
here
have
recognized
many
mbes
and
wbe
wbes
need
significant
resources
and
technical
assistance
to
successfully
complete
the
relevant
certification
process
without
dedicated
resources
in
place.
Ideally
provided
through
a
dedicated
supplier
diversity
office
with
expert
staff,
we
will
continue
to
see
low,
mbe
and
wbe
participation
and
engagement
to
fully
realize
the
city's
goals.
Certification
assistance
is
critical.
K
Second,
the
proposal
can
be
significantly
strengthened
to
make
sure
prime
contractors
do
more
than
simply
disclose
to
the
city
a
list
of
subcontractors
who
will
be
employed
through
the
duration
of
projects.
Reporting
demographic
data
is
very
important,
but
the
disparity
study
provides
the
city
with
much
more
leverage
to
create
a
supplier
diversity
program
that
has
actual
teeth.
The
city
can
and
should
be
more
aggressive.
For
example,
the
city
should
be
empowered
to
reject
bids
that
don't
advance
the
city's
supplied
diversity
goals,
so
keeping
these
considerations
in
mind,
along
with
our
community
partners.
K
We
are
calling
on
the
council
to
halt
their
efforts
on
this,
so
they
can
take
a
more
robust
home
role
position
that
addresses
all
of
the
issues
rather
than
take
a
piecemeal
approach.
And
again
we
want
to
emphasize
that
in
our
doj
complaint
we
asked
for
a
community
centered
approach
and
that's
what
we
would
like
to
see
moving
forward.
So
I'm
happy
to
answer
any
questions
you
may
have.
Thank
you
so
much
for
having
me
again.
A
A
A
A
C
Thank
you
ma'am
chair
and
thank
you
erin
for
being
with
us
this
morning.
Do
you
you
know
in
response
to
the
presentation
from
the
administration,
I
think
you
know
it's
duly
noted
around
the
financial
support
to
get
to
those
pieces
so
that
we
are
supporting
local
business
owners
and
mbs
and
wbes
through
this
process.
C
Do
you
have
any
thoughts
on
how
we,
what
funding
that
may
take
and
the
the
I
think
I
just
look
at
my
notes,
really
quick
on
the
the
position
that
supplier
diversity
business
manager,
the
role
that
they
would
play.
Is
that
enough
or
are
you
you
advocating
for
more
or
different?
I
guess
maybe
not
more,
we're
always
advocating
for
more.
K
Yeah,
I
think
that
would
be
a
good
start
to
start
the
conversation
again,
I
think
it'll
be
important
to
loop
in
our
community
partners
and
have
everyone
at
the
table
to
be
able
to
answer
that
question.
I
mean
we
represent
mbes,
but
we
want
their
voices
to
be
at
the
table
to
be
able
to
speak.
To
that
specific
question.
I
Yeah,
sorry,
I
couldn't
find
my
own
mute,
yeah
yeah
absolutely
and
it's
it's
part
of
a
comprehensive
approach.
We
know
that
you
know
you
can't
have
any
time
you
put
anything
on
one
person,
it's
it's
just
setting
them
up
for
failure,
and
so
we
do
have
a
really
robust
small
business
department
that
has
a
really
strong
technical
assistance
program,
and
so
this
this
position
is
going
to
set
up
a
program.
I
C
Yeah,
no,
I
appreciate
that.
I
think
that
that
will
go
a
long
way
to
help
through
this
process
and
asking
the
businesses
themselves
what
what
are
the,
what
are
the
things
that
they
need?
How
do
they
need
their
support?
I
think
for
the
advisory
council
that
should
be
helpful.
Erin.
Do
you
have
any
comments
or
thoughts
or
immediate
reflections
anyway,
on
some
of
the
language
in
the
homeroom
petition,
I
know
that
we'll
have
the
separate
working
session
to
inform
that,
but
just
curious,
if
you
do
at
this
point.
K
A
C
A
F
Sure
thanks
a
question
I
didn't
get
to
ask
the
administration
earlier,
but
I
wondered
how
we
were
thinking
about
it.
So
I
know
that
one
you
know
another
tool
sometimes
for
for
achieving
more
diverse
procurement
is
thinking
about
you
know.
Are
there?
Are
there
certifications
that
are
helpful
for
us
like
to
have
a
supplier
doing
the
job
have
that
we
can
sort
of
support
people
in
producing
and
then
make
those
certifications
a
piece
of
the
requirement
in
the
bid?
F
I'm
thinking
about
the
example
of
we've
been
again
talking
about
on
the
green
infrastructure
side.
We've
got
folks
working
with
some
of
our
young
people
and
they
end
up
with
these
green
infrastructure,
certifications
and
those
are
both.
You
know
potentially
helpful
to
our
green
infrastructure
work
and
and
could
help
us
kind
of
tether
that
kind
of
pipeline
to
our
bid
process,
and
so
I'm
curious
whether
we've
thought
about
areas
where
that
might
help
us
where
we
sort
of
id.
I
I
So
anyone
that's
in
hvac,
but
they're
not
green,
certified
yet,
and
so
it
was
like
it
was
a
pretty
robust
program
that
we
partnered
with
them
on
just
a
flag,
because
I
think
this
is
an
area
of
work
for
us,
but
maybe
we
can
work
on
it
jointly.
Part
of
the
challenge
that
we
had
at
that
time
is
that
it
wasn't
easy
to
find
within
city
contracts
which,
like
which
contracts
were
like
energy,
had
energy
efficient
components,
because
it's
sort
of
packaged
into
like
we're
rehabbing
this
building.
It's
not.
I
We
are
doing
a
green
re.
You
know
like
the
way
that
the
contracts
were
coded,
and
so
I
think
that's
an
area
for
I
don't
know
if
there's
been
improvements
since
then,
maybe
chief
handy
would
know,
but
I
think
that
it's
just
part
of
the
way
that
boston
is
doing
business
now,
and
so
it's
you
can't
really
piece
out
like
oh
this.
I
So
it's
like
cross-departmental
and
also
with
an
outside
entity,
but
I
think
that
there
is
a
lot
of
opportunity
because
someone
that's
doing
you
know
hvac
might
be
making
this
just
throwing
out
numbers
like
but
might
be
making
you
know
25
an
hour,
but
if
they're
doing
green
they
could
be
making
150
an
hour.
You
know-
and
so
I
think
just
getting
existing
companies
that
can
increase
their
skill
set
and
then
connecting
them
to
city
opportunities.
F
F
State
procurement
law
is
a
very
deeply
entrenched
beast
with
a
lot
of
interests
and
the
the
challenge
of
changing
it.
Frankly
is
a
substantial
one,
and
so
I
think
that
at
the
city
of
boston
level,
I
I
would
hope
that
in
our
conversation
you
know
going
forward
to
a
working
session
that
we
identify
the
aspects
of
state
procurement
law
that
most
tie
our
hands,
vis-a-vis
having
diverse
contractors
and,
frankly,
that
we
can
actually
fairly
efficiently
change
through
a
relatively
direct
legal.
F
Like
you
know,
change
in
the
law
right-
and
this
was
my
point
to
the
administration-
that
we
have
a
pretty
robust
case
for
defending
right,
which
is
part
of
why.
I
think
we
need
those
numbers
on
like
what's
a
premium,
that
we're
willing
to
pay
for
this
diversity
in
the
city
of
boston
and
sort
of
lay
that
out
and
not
have
it
be
a
secret
and
kind
of
just
say
you
know
this
is
part
of
what
we
want
to
have
be
it
be
possible
to
happen.
F
So
I
guess
the
pushback
I
would
just
have
is
I'm
I'm
very
I'm.
I
think
absolutely
all
the
stakeholders
have
to
be
involved
in
the
conversation
right
and
I
think
like,
and
definitely
also
with
all
these
program
designs.
I
mean
we've
seen
at
city
level
that
when
programs
are
not
designed
with
the
target
user,
in
the
conversation
I
mean
that's
just
a
basic
ui
thing.
It
tends
to
fail
right
like,
and
I
think
you
know
definitely
that's
something
that
it's
on
us
to
to
push
the
the
administration
to
do.
F
And
then
I
hear
selena
and
others
saying
that
they're
looking
to
do
in
this
process,
but
I
guess
my
pushback
a
little
bit
would
be
I'm
not
sure
a
kitchen
sink
home
rule
on
this
has
any
prospect
of
success
at
the
state
level
and
and
personally
I'm
pretty
interested
in
when
we
as
the
council
have
to
send
things
up
and
then
lobby
them
for
them
at
the
state.
I
have
an
interest
in
making
sure
that,
like
we
actually
have
a
path
to
passing
them,
so
I
I
just.
F
I
just
want
to
sort
of
register
that
I
think
that-
and
you
know,
and
and
also
when
we
have
a
home
rule
petition,
we're
asking
them
to
make
an
exception
for
us,
which
again,
I
think,
needs
to
be
narrowly
tailored
and
politically
justified
at
our
level.
There
may
well
be
an
argument
for
a
state
level
work
with
the
entire
massachusetts
delegation
update
to
30b
right.
I
think
that's
beyond
the
scope
of
what
this
council
can
do.
F
A
I
would
just
note
that
the
way
this
process-
oh
counselor
mejia,
but
before
you
go
again
just
just
reiterate
to
what
counselor
asabi
george
had
asked
about
a
lot
of
that
balancing
of
how
you
increase,
but
also
how
you
make
it
efficient
in
language
and
possibly
possible
to
pass,
will
happen
in
the
working
session.
So
I
think
that
you
know
we're
just
kind
of
highlighting
the
the
good
back
and
forth
and
robust
conversation
we
will
eventually
have
so.
I
don't
think
anyone
disagrees.
I
think
we're
just
trying
to
figure
out.
B
K
K
I
can
say
that
in
the
we
had
made
a
complaint
with
hud
in
the
suffix
downs
construction
project
to
have
language
access,
and
we
think
that
was
a
really
good
example
of
taking
a
community-centered
approach.
We
had
investigators
come
and
actually
meet
with
stakeholders
in
the
community.
They.
You
know
this
was
a
different
time,
so
they
were
able
to
go
to
their
houses
and
actually
meet
directly
with
them,
and
so
I
think
that
sort
of
process
and
then
having
we
already
had
after
we
filed
the
complaint.
K
We
had
some
community
bound
tables
where
we,
through
beckman,
through
amplify,
had
different
mbas
and
wbs,
come
and
share
their
stories
there,
and
even
just
having
that
like
through
a
trusted
stakeholder
or
directly
contacting
with
mba,
and
we
leaders,
I
think,
is
very
important
moving
forward,
and
so
we
were
able
to
do
that
over
zoom.
It
looks
a
little
different,
it's
a
little
harder
in
this
time,
but
I
think
that's
generally
what
we're
looking
for
here.
A
Any
any
other
questions
councilmania,
okay,
so
we've
it's
about
almost
11
o'clock
and
I
feel
there's
a
lot
of
data
and
information
that
the
administration's
given
to
us
plus,
I
understand,
there's
a
an
embargo.
Embargoed
excuse
me
announcement.
That's
to
happen.
That
may
also
add
to
our
conversation
for
the
working
session.
Again.
What
I
understand
from
this
is
from
all
points
and
angles:
we're
looking
at
a
state
level,
city
level,
grassroots
level,
to
attack
this
very
real
problem
that
no
one
is
denying
that
we
have.
A
We
have
an
issue
with
making
sure
that
our
city
dollars
and
contracts
are
equitably
accessible
to
all
city
residents
and
especially
people
of
color
and
women.
I
don't
think-
and
I
heard
anything
denying
that
from
the
city
of
boston.
What
I
heard
is
several
avenues
of
points
of
trying
to
attack
this
issue,
and
I
appreciate
that
and
thank
you
for
your
hard
work.
So
what
we'll
probably
do
is
unless
anyone
has
any
burning
questions.
I
know
council
braden,
we
we
skipped
you.
A
I
don't
know
if
you
had
any
any
second
round
questions,
but
what
we'll
probably
do
is
now
with
the
new
information
we
got
from
you
today,
I'm
talking
to
the
administration
what
the
announcement
is
to
come
from
the
administration
and
then
also
with
some
thoughts
and
and
I'm
sure,
we'll
have
some
language
suggestions
from
the
advocate
we'll
schedule
a
robust
working
session
to
make
sure
this
home
repetition
is
really
hits
that
sweet
spot.
As
I
said,
counselor
braden,
I
don't
know
if
you
had
any
questions,
no.
D
I'm
sorry
I
had
to
jump
off
for
a
few
seconds
a
few
minutes.
I
really
appreciate
all
the
work
that
we've
done
today.
I
look
forward
to
the
working
session
and
I
look
forward
to
you
know
really
work
preparing
a
a
home
rule
petition
that
will
actually
has
a
chance
of
passing.
So
this
is
this
is
a
really
good
start
and
I
look
forward
to
continuing
this
work.
Thank
you.