What has been the impact of U.S. Supreme Court decisions against racial preferences?
These decisions have made it much more competitive for small minority firms. The elimination of race based goals clearly has its draw backs for minority firms. They must become more competitive in marketing their services. Networking is more a necessity today than ever before, and closing the digital divide will ensure that the companies have access to information relative to new contracts. The SDO has developed partnerships with many of the state’s transportation agencies, such as Mass DOT, MBTA, Aeronautics, Mass Highway, MassPort and the 17 regional transit authorities throughout the Commonwealth, to identify minority- and women-owned firms that can do the job. Each of these agencies, along with the Operational Services Department and the state’s purchasing agency, have committed to providing the SDO with up-coming contract opportunities. Q: What is the Small Business Procurement Program (SBPP)? Gov. Deval Patrick has created the SBPP for Massachusetts for-profit businesses that are
