Description
Equal Opportunities for Philadelphia Businesses
The City Controller’s Office monitors revenues and expenditures for contracts the city maintains with outside businesses. As part of the Controller’s oversight of the city’s payment and purchasing processes, the Controller’s Office verifies that payments to Minority- Woman- and Disabled-Owned (M/W/DSBE) businesses comply with the agreed-upon contract, ensuring the city is fulfilling its economic opportunity goals.
| Department | Contract Total | Total M/W/DSBE | M/W/DSBE % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | $333,574,920 | $107,392,698 | 32% |
| Aviation | $140,198,007 | $45,617,779 | 33% |
| Streets | $175,923,717 | $43,471,170 | 25% |
| Prisons | $108,545,933 | $39,144,876 | 36% |
| Total | $758,242,577 | $235,626,523 | 31% |
In the Department of Commerce’s most recent Office of Economic Opportunity Annual Report, covering Fiscal Year 2023, the city spent $1.2 billion with contracted businesses. Of the total amount, $370.7 million, or 31%, went to M/W/DSBE businesses. The top four city departments by spending – Water, Aviation, Streets, and Prisons – accounted for almost $760 million. A breakdown of contract totals and amounts that went to M/W/DSBE businesses from those departments is shown in the table above.
Compared to Fiscal Year 2022, the city’s total spending on contracted services increased by almost $285 million in Fiscal Year 2023, according to the Annual Report. The city’s spending with M/W/DSBE also increased during this time by about $72 million. However, while more city dollars were spent on contracted services in fiscal year 2023, the percentage spent on M/W/DSBE businesses decreased by two percentage points, dropping 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. Of those, about half are located in the City of Philadelphia, accounting for a quarter of the total.
Registry by Business Location
To learn more and to begin the registration process, visit phila.mwdsbe.com.
Each month Controller Brady looks forward to bringing transparency and accountability of our city, right to you.
Click here to read the press release issued along with the report.