Department of General Services Spokesman Troy Thompson said DGS is also scheduling meetings about the disparity study, to specifically garner feedback from small and minority-owned businesses. He said expanding the study to include PennDOT will be very helpful.
“It’s a really big deal when you think of the amount of work that goes on there,” he said. “We’ll be able to see how we can incorporate some socially-conscious measures into the work they do, maybe put some requirements in there, and we’re going to see where other barriers might be—maybe in the contract language, maybe some of the subcontractor compliance requirements. And the bottom line is, having them included gives us a more complete look at the state of the barriers these small businesses face in Pennsylvania.”
PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick said the department had planned its own disparity study, but when the DGS study was approved, it made sense to be included. The overall study will not be delayed by the expansion.
“I’m hearing at these meetings that some contractors are desperate to find minority subs,” he said. “The primes’ needs can run the gamut from excavation services, asphalt or lumber, to pipe-laying, heavy equipment, flags and vest, you name it. That’s why we’re doing these meetings. Thant’s why we’re reaching out.”
(Courier photographer J.L. Martello contributed to this story.)
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