FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 14, 2025

PHILADELPHIA – City Controller Christy Brady today released the May 2025 Municipal Money Matters, highlighting that the city awarded $370 million in contracts to Minority-, Woman-, and Disabled-Owned (M/W/DSBE) businesses during Fiscal Year 2023.

According to the latest Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) Annual Report from the Department of Commerce, M/W/DSBE firms accounted for 31% of the $1.2 billion the city spent on contracted businesses during the reviewed fiscal year. About two-thirds of the M/W/DSBE contracts were committed to the top four city departments with the highest contracting spending, which included Water, Aviation, Streets and Prisons.

Although overall contract spending and dollars directed to M/W/DSBE firms rose compared to Fiscal Year 2022, the share allocated to these businesses declined by two percentage points, falling from 33% the previous year.

For businesses looking to secure city contracts, registration with the city’s Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) is essential and grants access to outreach events that can provide opportunities for M/W/DSBE businesses. The OEO registry includes 2,054 businesses, 52% of which are based in Pennsylvania. A breakdown of registry by business location includes:

M/W/DBSE Business by Location	% of Total Registered Businesses
Other Pennsylvania Cities and Counties	27%
Philadelphia	25%
Other States	25%
New Jersey	15%
Maryland	5%
Delaware	3%

Visit https://controller.phila.gov/ to view the City Controller’s latest report.

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