Minority Contractors

The recent decision by the San Diego City Council not to do business with contractors/bidders who do not follow the Equal Opportunity Program requirements and the provisions of Minority and Women Business Enterprise Program was a correct one. The decision sends a clear and unmistakable message: Trying to circumvent the policies and procedures of the city will not be tolerated.

As I sat in council chambers and watched the parade of minority and women business people take turns defending the dismal efforts of Dillingham Construction Co. to hire and subcontract with women and so-called minorities, I was struck by the lack of African Americans offering testimony. I have been the president of the Black Contractors Assn. for the past eight years and painfully aware of the use of “good faith” efforts to keep us out of meaningful and substantive involvement in public works programs. There are African American contractors who have the expertise to act in the capacity of joint ventures, tradesmen, accountants and subcontractors in San Diego County.

What had been missing, prior to the council’s decision, was an objective commitment to our inclusion in the bidding process.

My concern, at this point, is not to castigate nor ridicule anyone for past injustices or the “stretching of the rules,” but to clearly let it be known that BCA and other minority contractors are willing to participate in projects that are mutually beneficial.

In this day and age of high unemployment, especially in the black and Latino communities, it makes good economic sense to employ as many people as possible rebuilding the infrastructure of our city. I also feel strongly that the high cost of litigation and other costs associated with proving one’s intention to meet the goal of minority and women participation in city contracts can be alleviated by establishing working relationships and dialogue among the some 450 contractors in San Diego.

The BCA and its constituents stand ready to engage in the necessary exchange to bring about the appropriate climate in which to do business. I call on all concerned parties to work together, in a collective and beneficial sense, to create the environment whereby profitable opportunity for the city’s minority and women business community can be realized.

ABDUR HAMEED, President, Black Contractors Assn.