The State of Minority- and Women- Owned ... - Cleveland.com

The City of Cleveland’s Cleveland Small Business, Minority Business Enterprise, and
Female Business Enterprise Program: Overview and Feedback Interviews
Several certified firms reported that while they had been listed on the bid documents, they were
substituted later or did not receive full payment.
There was a 20 percent goal for DBE businesses.… After [the general contractor] got the
job, seven of those [sub]contractors, including myself, were replaced by other people that
were not FBE, MBE certified.
The larger companies are getting the contracts, we are bidding, our names, our company
names are being used to be awarded the contract, but still yet we’re not being paid.
If there is some financial penalty to a contractor that names a minority contractor at time
of bid, they’re awarded the contract for using that name [but do not use the MBE], it
would change some things.… If he doesn’t use him, they should be financially penalized.
But if there’s no penalty, they don’t care.
[The City] changed [its] subcontracting policies in Section 188 where if you do change
somebody, if you do remove somebody that was on the Schedule 3 [Utilization Plan],
there’s ramifications.
The first approach [when the utilization plan is submitted] is excellent, if you want this,
you have to do this. And that’s excellent. But … then we’re left with nothing. You need
to have them say if you don’t follow through we’re going to drop the bid.
The City has got to monitor that when they pay the primes, the primes are paying you and
they will not get paid until they get a letter from the prime signed by you that you were
paid on time.
There are a number of companies that come through and they bid. They’ll put our name
on a bid and then they won’t use us.… If you give them your name one time, they’ll just
use you for another one. They keep using you. They don’t give you any work. They
don’t. So we called the OEO department about this and we’ve complained. But, you
know, I understand the City being in the position that they’re in they need the goods, they
want the lower price, sometimes they you know, overlook what they set out to do.
Those gals up there [in OEO] are awesome. They will do anything to help you get
certified. But that’s where it stops. It’s like the right arm doesn’t know that the left arm is
in the same building.
9. Mentor-Protégé Initiatives
There was significant support among general contractors for mentor-protégé initiatives.
ODOT has a Mentor-Protégé Program and we’ve been involved with that and I think
usually they kind of team me up with a protégé firm. It’s a two year program.… And it’s
NERA Economic Consulting 310