The City of Wilmington (“the City”) has commissioned Miller³ Consulting, Inc. (M³ Consulting) to perform the first ever disparity study for the City to determine whether the City’s procurement of goods and services is utilizing and inclusive of the available minority and women-owned business enterprises (“M/WBE”) in the relevant market. The City seeks the following as part of the study: 

• Recommendations and suggestions for improvement of the City’s supplier diversity efforts after benchmarking and identifying best practices;
   
• Assessment, evaluation, and quantification of disparity in the available marketplace and identification of opportunities to ensure that the City does not overlook disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) when soliciting contracts for services. 

• Recommendations for programmatic remedies to address any identified underutilization of M/WBEs; and
  
  
• Special recommendations on changes to City Code and internal programming to promote women-owned businesses. 

The study will focus on M/WBEs in the procurement categories of Public Works, Services, and Goods from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2020 (FY 2016-FY 2020).

STUDY SCHEDULE

M³ Consulting initiated the disparity study in September 2021 and will complete the study by the end of August 2022.

KEY CONTACTS

If you have any questions or comments regarding the 2021 City of Wilmington Disparity Study, please contact:

James C. Williams

Small and Minority Business Development Manager
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development

Call (302) 576-2124

Email jcwilliams@WilmingtonDE.gov

Alternatively, you can contact the project team directly at:

Sherry Williams

Project Manager & Director of Programs
Miller³ Consulting, Inc.

Call (404) 827-9019

Email swilliams@miller3group.com

STUDY PROGRESS

The City will provide regular updates about M³ Consulting’s progress on the disparity study throughout the course of the disparity study. Please check back periodically for those updates.

PROJECT INITIATION

The City and M³ Consulting kicked off the 2021 City of Wilmington Disparity Study in September 2021 with a series of virtual meetings with various City departments and representatives. M³ Consulting met with the City to introduce the study, answer questions, and begin data collection starting with assessing and understanding contracting and vendor data maintained by the City. Click here to view the kick-off presentation.

DATA COLLECTION

M³ Consulting began working with the City in September 2021 to collect data on contracts and procurements that the City awarded during the study period as well as information about the vendors that participated in that work.

NEXT STEPS

M³ Consulting will engage in the following tasks in the coming months:

• Community engagement. 
• Focus Groups - The project team will conduct a series of focus groups with both non-minority and minority business owners on specific topics related to their experiences doing business or attempting to do business with the City.
  
  
• Public Hearings - The project team will conduct a (virtual) public hearing, which will tentatively be held in May 2022. During the public hearing, the project team will present information about the disparity study, answer any questions, and solicit participants for any verbal or written testimony that they would like to share about their experiences working in the marketplace. Further details including specific dates, times, and locations of the meetings will be available soon.
  
  
• Data collection. M³ Consulting will continue to work with the City to collect data on contracts that it awarded during the study period and the vendors that participated in those contracts.
  
  
• Data analysis. M³ Consulting will begin analyzing data that it collects from the City. M³ Consulting will begin assessing the subindustries that account for the majority of City contracting, the geographical area that is most relevant to the City's contracting, and the percentage of total contract dollars M/WBEs businesses received on City's prime contracts and subcontracts during the study period.
  
  
• Capacity surveys. In the Spring of 2022, the project team will begin conducting capacity email and telephone surveys with businesses in the relevant geographic market area that perform work that is relevant to City contracting. 

If we contact your business, please participate in the community engagement and survey process to help ensure an accurate and comprehensive survey process!

1. What is a disparity study?

   A Disparity Study determines whether a government entity, either in the past or currently, engages in exclusionary practices in the solicitation and award of contracts to minority, and women‐owned, and disadvantaged business enterprises (MWDBEs).

2. What is the purpose of a disparity study?

   The study is necessitated in part by a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court decision in City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson. The decision imposed legal requirements on jurisdictions to establish a “compelling interest” to support the establishment of a minority and women business program. The results of this study will determine if a compelling interest exists for the City to have a M/WBE program.

3. Why is the City of Wilmington conducting a disparity study?

   Wilmington is conducting a disparity study to aid the City in evaluating and improving its current programs and to undertake all necessary and affirmative steps to ensure that Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) are afforded opportunities to participate in City procurements.

4. When will the disparity study be completed?

   Projected to be August 2022.

5. How can local business owners and community stakeholders get involved and stay informed?

   The participation of stakeholders and business owners is crucial to the Disparity Study’s success. The project team will be conducting stakeholder meetings and business owner interviews, sending surveys, and holding focus groups throughout the course of the Study to gather information; local business owners and stakeholders are encouraged to attend.

   The business owner meetings and focus groups will allow the project team to document anecdotal testimony from firms and/or individuals that have done business, or are interested in doing business, directly with the City or indirectly through its prime contractors/lead professional consultants.

   You can also share your insights about working in the local marketplace by emailing the project team directly at CityofWilmingtonDS@miller3group.com. Data collected throughout the Study will be considered and incorporated into the final report.

6. What types of contracts are being reviewed?

   The study will focus on M/WBEs in the procurement categories of Public Works, Services, and Goods from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2020 (FY 2016-FY 2020).

7. Will the results of the disparity study be made public?

   Yes, the results of the disparity study will be made public at the end of the process.

The project team for the 2021 City of Wilmington Disparity Study includes two firms that possess expertise directly relevant to conducting the study in a manner that meets the highest industry and legal standards. Miller³ Consulting (M³ Consulting), prime consultant and minority-owned firm based in Atlanta, and Q & A Research—a Hispanic-owned firm that has previously worked with M³ Consulting on disparity study efforts.

PRIMARY CONTACTS

Dave Miller

CEO & Data Manager
Miller³ Consulting, Inc.

Call (404) 827-9019 

Email dmillerjr@miller3group.com

Sherry Williams

Project Manager & Director of Program
Miller³ Consulting, Inc.

Call (404) 827-9019 

Email swilliams@miller3group.com

ABOUT THE PROJECT TEAM

M³ Consulting, successor firm to D.J. Miller & Associates, Inc., is a 2nd generation, minority-owned firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. M³ Consulting conducted the very first disparity study in the United States for Hillsborough County, Florida in 1988, which correctly anticipated the direction of the U.S. Supreme Court. Since then, M³ Consulting has remained on the cutting edge, creating industry-adopted methodologies, and going on to conduct over 140 disparity studies across the country on the local, state, and federal level. Known as the “creators” of the disparity study industry, M³ Consulting has over 35 years of experience in inclusive policy initiatives, disparity study analysis and minority/women owned business enterprise (M/WBE) program design and development. The firm has conducted disparity studies in 9 of the 11 judicial circuits and engaged in litigation in 5 of the 11 judicial circuits, including the most conservative circuits: 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 11th. The firm is proud of the fact that:

• NO M³ Consulting study has ever been overturned
• NO M³ Consulting study has been challenged since 1997

For more information about M³ Consulting, please visit www.miller3group.com

SUB-CONTRACTOR

Q & A RESEARCH

Q & A Research, Inc. is a full-service quantitative and qualitative marketing research provider, but also operates Q & A Focus Suites (a chain of focus group facilities), as well as Hispanic Perspectives (a division of the company dedicated to Hispanic research). Q & A Research opened its doors in 1991 and within a few short years became among the top 100 fastest growing firms in the Bay Area twice, as reported by the San Francisco Business Times. The company now has three locations across the country and employs over 120 employees.

As part of the M³ Consulting team, Q & A Research will provide survey administration support.

The project team engages the community to determine the experiences of Non-MBEs and MBEs in attempting to do business with the City and in the marketplace.  We seek to gain insight and information from various perspectives by conducting focus groups and a public hearing. Community engagement will begin in April 2022.

The City will provide access to relevant disparity study notes, presentations, and reports below. Please check back periodically for updated documents throughout the course of the study.

City of Wimington Disparity Study Final Report (PDF)

City of Wilmington Disparity Study Executive Summary (PDF)

2022 Comprehensive Disparity Study Slideshow Presentation – February 6, 2023 (PPT)

2022 Comprehensive Disparity Study Slideshow Presentation – February 6, 2023 (PDF)

Equitable Procurement Updates - Finance and OED Committee Update September 5, 2023 (PPT)

Equitable Procurement Updates - Finance and OED Committee Update September 5, 2023 (PDF)

Please submit any comments that you may have about your experiences working in the local marketplace, working with the City, or about the disparity study. Topic areas could include:

• Conditions in the local marketplace, including any potential barriers to success or growth that businesses face;
• Contracting opportunities with the City or other local government agencies;
• Business assistance programs that the City or other local agencies currently offer;
• Any recommendations for additional business assistance programs that the City could consider implementing.

Your comments will be treated confidentially. They will be integrated as part of the project team’s analyses of local marketplace conditions without identifying you as the source.

E-mail your comments directly to the project team at CityofWilmingtonDS@miller3group.com.