Direct the Portland Parks & Recreation Director and Chief Procurement Officer to deviate from the Social Equity in Contracting Strategy for the purpose of the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center Feasibility Study

WHEREAS, the City of Portland recognizes that arts and culture are an essential component of a thriving and sustainable city and therefore the “Arts and Culture” section is incorporated into the Portland Plan; and WHEREAS, the Portland Plan recognizes that advancing equity must be at the core of the City’s operational and business practices; and WHEREAS, for many years the City has had a variety of programs to increase the participation of minorities and women in public contracting but recognizes that there is much work left to be done to ensure equal opportunities for all; and WHEREAS, Portland Parks & Recreation is seeking to conduct a market analysis and feasibility study for a Black Arts and Culture Center (“Study”) at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC); and WHEREAS, on February 28, 2018, Portland City Council adopted a set of 24 recommendations to protect and expand affordable arts spaces, Plan for Preserving and Expanding | Affordable Arts Space in Portland, January 2018; and WHEREAS, the IFCC Study presents an opportunity to support and implement several of the planning recommendations presented in the Plan for Preserving and Expanding | Affordable Arts Space in Portland, January 2018; and WHEREAS, in July 2018, the IFCC Community Advisory Committee was invited and appointed by former City Commissioner Amanda Fritz to create a vision for IFCC as a revitalized Black Arts and Cultural Center with a viable, sustainable, and implementable programming and operating model; and WHEREAS, the goals of the IFCC Project are to respect and honor IFCC’s history and roots in the Black community, uphold IFCC’s original mission to explore, preserve and celebrate Portland’s diversity, and advance the City’s commitment to racial equity; and WHEREAS, the Portland City Council recognizes the need to attract more qualified minority-owned businesses to submit proposals for City projects; and WHEREAS, Procurement Services is currently leading a broad review and analysis of the Social Equity in Contracting Strategy and plans to return to City Council with recommendations in the coming months on policy enhancements and program expansion; and WHEREAS, the IFCC Study schedule does not allow for such policy enhancements to be implemented. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Portland recognizes and supports equity strategies for achieving diversity in contracting ; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Portland Parks & Recreation Director and the Chief Procurement Officer may, for this IFCC Request for Proposal Process, deviate from the Social Equity in Contracting Strategy and modify social equity in contracting requirements to allow all disadvantaged , minority-owned , women-owned, emerging small and service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprises to be recognized toward meeting established equity in contracting goals and requirements, including recognizing other agencies’ certifications in addition to the State of Oregon’s Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity certifications.