OMWBD to host hybrid outreach meetings for new disparity study 

In a move that establishes a five-year recurring cycle, the City of Indianapolis Office of Minority and Women Business Development (OMWBD) and its partners are conducting a 12-month disparity study led by BBC Research & Consulting.& & This year, it will include hybrid outreach sessions that allow local community members and business owners to voice suggestions and concerns. & & In addition to local input, the studies have an involved process that includes assessing which barriers businesses face as part of the city’s contracting process. & Results are used to highlight disparities between minority and women-owned businesses and non-minority and women-owned businesses. Local officials are informed so they can begin efforts to rectify them. & & This year’s work builds upon a 2019 study that revealed that women and minority-owned businesses are underutilized in city contracts. It also found a disparity of funding between white-owned and white-women-owned establishments, and minority-owned businesses, citing myriad factors (including lack of capital) that contributed to the disparity. & & With the ongoing study, the OMWBD will continue that analysis. As part of the process, OMWBD and its partners are allowing the public to make suggestions for improvement.& There will be two public outreach meetings...