City committed to ‘open and fair competition’
9/20/2018, 6 a.m.
Re “Shift in city procurement practice hurt black-owned businesses,” Free Press Sept. 13-15 edition:
Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney and his administration are committed to ensuring open and fair competition for contracts with small, minority, local and emerging businesses. The city Office of Minority Business Development and the city Department of Procurement Services are working closely in partnership toward this goal.
If a previous procurement director abandoned certain programs authorized and supported under City Code Section 21, articles VI and VII, whether for the sake of expediency or for any other reason, it would not have been an irrevocable decision. Further, the city still has contracts under the Richmond Supply Schedule.
The Department of Procurement Services currently uses eVA as a vehicle to post formal solicitations for goods and/or services that exceed $50,000. Also, DPS has a Small Purchases Policy that requires departments and agencies to conduct due diligence in soliciting quotes from at least three businesses, one of which must be a Minority Business Enterprise or Emerging Small Business, if available. Therefore, DPS did not replace the Richmond Supply Schedule with eVA.
Betty J. Burrell
Director of Procurement Services City of Richmond
