Minority, Women, and Emerging Small Businesses
Location: Downtown Center, 2nd Floor
Procurement Diversity Program
PCC endeavors to provide the MWESB community with ease of access to our procurement process. We provide MWESB vendors with the support necessary to successfully participate in our bidding process so that our MWESB utilization reflects the diversity of our community.
“Portland Community College is committed to a procurement strategy that achieves College wide race and gender contracting equity while providing small business opportunity and regional economic growth.”Board Policy B 506
To learn more about MWESB certification, or search for state-certified businesses available for procurement, visit the State of Oregon Office of Minority, Women, and Emerging Small Businesses.
Our procedures
In executing the board’s directive to achieve race and gender equality and provide opportunities for small businesses, the Office of Minority, Women, and Emerging Small Business Bond Procurement has established the following key procedures. These procedures are designed to build upon the current MWESB contractor base and diversify the existing workforce. These procedures endeavor to accomplish these tasks without sacrificing quality, competition, or fairness.
Good Faith Effort
PCC’s Good Faith Effort (GFE) procedure requires prime contractors who are bidding on PCC projects to provide bidding opportunities to state-certified Minority Business Enterprise/Women Business Enterprises (MBE/WBE) and Emerging Small Business (ESB) firms.
Good Faith Effort applies to all college construction contracts over $200,000. Some smaller contracts (between $100,000 and $200,000) may also include Good Faith Effort program requirements if there are substantial opportunities for subcontracting. The prime contractor shall contact state-certified firms by fax/letter and follow-up phone call. Firms for each division of work specified by the college shall be contacted. For Construction Manager General Contractor (CMGC) projects, all economically feasible divisions of work shall be identified and firms contacted. Contacts shall be made at least 10 days prior to the bid closing. Efforts to contact and work with state-certified firms must be documented utilizing PCC’s GFE forms. PCC aspires to a 20% MWESB utilization rate on our construction projects. This target reflects the diversity found in the Portland metropolitan area.
Workforce training and hiring
Portland Community College, a place of learning and growth, carries on that mission in its contracting processes through workforce training and hiring. We require apprenticeship training on our construction projects. The college has an obligation to ensure that our projects offer equal employment opportunities to all of the constituents we serve.
Under the workforce training and hiring provisions the prime contractor shall:
- Make every reasonable effort to employ a diverse workforce.
- Be a registered Training Agent before starting work on the project.
- Provide 20% apprentice hours in each trade required by the specifications throughout the project without exceeding the apprentice-to-journey ratio allowed by your apprenticeship programs.
- Request minority or female apprentices from the union or open shop apprenticeship programs, if such an action will help meet Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) certification requirements or remedy historical under-utilization in your workforce.
Small Business Program
For purchases of $5,000 up to $149,999 a minimum of three informally solicited competitive quotes are required. At least one of the three quotes should be obtained from a state-certified Minority, Women, or Emerging Small Business firm. A written record of the vendors contacted and the quotes received is required. The contract shall be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible vendor. The Procurement Department reviews the requisitions to ensure compliance with PCC procurement rules and regulations are adhered to before converting requisitions to purchase orders.