title
PROPOSED CONTRACT
Department(s): Office of Contract Compliance
Vendor: Colette Holt & Associates, San Antonio, Texas
Request: Authorization for the Chief Procurement Officer to enter into and execute
Good(s) or Service(s): Disparity Study
Contract Value: $692,281.00
Contract period: 8/5/2020 - 2/4/2022
Potential Fiscal Year Budget Impact: $155,556.00 from FY2020; $466,668.00 from FY 2021; $70,057.00 from FY2022
Accounts: 11000-1490-12140-520830-00000-00000
Contract Number(s): 2003-18290
Concurrences:
The contract-specific goal set on this contract was zero.
The Chief Procurement Officer concurs.
Summary: The Office of Contract Compliance requests authorization for the Chief Procurement Officer to enter into and execute a contract with Colette Holt & Associates for a Disparity Study. The Office of Contract Compliance (“Contract Compliance”) Disparity Study has a sunset date of June 30, 2021. Contract Compliance is required by Ordinance to perform another Disparity Study prior to the sunset date. Contract Compliance and the County through the Contract Compliance Committee will review the operation of the County’s Minority and Woman Owned Business Program (“Program”) and the evidentiary basis for the Program in order to determine whether the County has a continuing compelling interest in remedying discrimination against Minority Business Enterprises (“MBEs”) and Women Business Enterprises (“WBEs”) in its marketplace, and the permissible scope of any narrowly tailored remedies to redress discrimination against MBEs or WBEs so that the County will not function as a passive participant in a discriminatory marketplace. The law firm of Colette Holt & Associates ("CHA") specializes in conducting Disparity Studies in the United States. CHA has performed the majority of disparity studies for the various governments that serve Cook County and its marketplace. Authorization to enter a sole source contract is requested as CHA is the only vendor with the required and unique experience, the access to the broadest data available and the intimate knowledge of Cook County's Program, particularly how it interacts with other local government entities.
This is a Sole Source Procurement pursuant to Section 34-139 of the Cook County Procurement Code.
end