Contra Costa County values the contributions of small business and has developed programs to assist in soliciting and awarding contracts to the SSE community. The Board of Supervisors adopted these programs to enable small and local businesses to compete for a share of the County's purchasing transactions.
The Board of Supervisors has set a goal of awarding at least 50% of eligible product and service dollars to small businesses. The Small Business Enterprise (SSE) Program applies to: (1) County-funded construction contracts of $100,000 or less; (2) purchasing transactions of $100,000 or less; and (3) professional/personal service contracts of $100,000 or less.
The objective of the program is to award at least 50% or more of the total eligible dollar base amounts to SBEs. A Small Business Enterprise, as defined by the California Government Code, Section 14837, Chapter 3.5 must be:
- Independently owned and operated business, which is not dominant in its field of operation;
- The principal office of which is located in California, the officers of which are domiciled in California, and which together with affiliates, has 100 or fewer employees;
- And have average annual gross receipts of fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) or less over the previous three tax years, or a manufacturer with 100 or fewer employees.
Reporting Requirements
It is the responsibility of each County department to track and compile the data on these purchasing activities so a countywide report can be provided to the Board of Supervisors.
The Internal Operations Committee has responsibility for evaluating the semi-annual reports and making recommendations to the Board on program policies and reporting. The Board receives reports in six-month increments, with the last report submitted to the Board for the period ending December 31, 2020. Attachment A constitutes the report due for the time period January 1 - June 30, 2021. |
Summary Findings
The table below summarizes the attached department activity on a countywide basis.
January – June 2021
ACTIVITY TYPE: |
Total # of ALL Contracts |
Total # of SBE Contracts |
SBE Percent of Total |
Total Dollar Value of ALL Contracts |
Total Dollar Value of SBE Contracts |
SBE Percent of Total |
Professional/Personal Services |
246 |
107 |
43.5% |
$10,149,053 |
$3,745,269 |
36.9% |
Purchasing Transactions |
1,162 |
353 |
30.4% |
$29,025,823 |
$8,475,032 |
29.2% |
Construction Contracts |
0 |
0 |
0% |
$0 |
$0 |
0% |
While the County did not achieve the 50% goal, this information shows the County directed more than $12.1 million in qualifying transactions to SBE firms during the six-month reporting period, achieving a 43.5% award rate for professional/personal services transactions and a 30.4% award rate for purchasing transactions. No construction contracts were reported in this period.
It is worth noting that the SBE participation goals of surrounding agencies are typically in the 20-25% range. By that measure, Contra Costa County’s reported activity is below that threshold for professional/personal services, and above that range for purchasing transactions. The following departments are commended for achieving 50% or more program compliance this reporting period:
- Professional/Personal Services: Animal Services, Conservation & Development, Fire Protection District, Health Services, and Public Works
- Purchases: Agriculture, Clerk Recorder-Elections, Conservation & Development, County Counsel, District Attorney, Employment & Human Services, and Veterans Services
Of particular note, Animal Services is commended for achieving a 100% award rate for qualifying professional services contracts.
County Counsel should also to be commended for achieving a 100% award rate for qualifying purchasing transactions.
Department/Activity |
Total # of ALL Contracts |
Total # of SBE Contracts |
SBE Percent of Total |
Total Dollar Value of ALL Contracts |
Total Dollar Value of SBE Contracts |
SBE Percent of Total |
|
Agriculture |
Purchasing Transactions |
7 |
5 |
71.4% |
$85 |
$54 |
63.5% |
Animal Services |
Professional/Personal Svcs |
1 |
1 |
100.0% |
$3,500 |
$3,500 |
100.0% |
Clerk Recorder - Elections |
Professional/Personal Svcs |
14 |
5 |
35.7% |
$354,724 |
$199,424 |
56.2% |
Purchasing Transactions |
19 |
8 |
42.1% |
$270,071 |
$138,958 |
51.5% |
Conservation & Development |
Professional/Personal Svcs |
5 |
4 |
80.0% |
$249,500 |
$149,500 |
59.9% |
Purchasing Transactions |
7 |
6 |
85.7% |
$110,974 |
$109,549 |
98.7% |
County Counsel |
Purchasing Transactions |
1 |
1 |
100% |
$871 |
$871 |
100% |
District Attorney |
Purchasing Transactions |
14 |
8 |
57.1% |
$225,789 |
$118,163 |
52.3% |
Employment & Human Services |
Purchasing Transactions |
78 |
35 |
44.9% |
$1,129,511 |
$754,822 |
66.8% |
Fire Protection District |
Professional/Personal Svcs |
5 |
3 |
60.0% |
$136,000 |
$76,000 |
55.9% |
Health Services |
Professional/Personal Svcs |
105 |
55 |
52.4% |
$4,589,014 |
$2,538,218 |
55.3% |
Public Works |
Professional/Personal Svcs |
9 |
6 |
66.7% |
$239,347 |
$134,448 |
56.2% |
Veteran Services |
Purchasing Transactions |
6 |
4 |
66.7% |
$12,121 |
$11,840 |
97.7% |
E-Outreach Report
In order to encourage the use of small, local, and disadvantaged businesses, the County's E-Outreach Program requires bids and Request for Proposals greater than $10,000 to be solicited online. For this period, there were 60 bids totaling $24,850,352 that fell within the parameters of the program.
The data specific to electronic solicitations is developed and provided by the Purchasing Division of the Public Works Department, and reflects outreach to small, women-owned, minority-owned, local, disabled veteran-owned, and disadvantaged business enterprises. During this reporting period, 60 bids were conducted using the BidSync e-outreach site. Notifications were sent to 354,580 businesses, of which 31.3% are considered small, local, or disadvantaged business enterprises.
E-Outreach January 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021
|
Number of Solicitations |
60 |
|
|
|
Total Notifications |
354,580 |
|
|
|
Dollar Value |
$24,850,352 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BUSINESS CATEGORY |
Notifications |
Percentage of Total |
|
MBE - Minority Business Enterprise |
21,241 |
6.0% |
|
WBE - Women Business Enterprise |
17,421 |
4.9% |
|
SBE - Small Business Enterprise |
55,195 |
15.5% |
|
LBE - Local Business Enterprise |
2,710 |
0.8% |
|
DVBE - Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise |
630 |
0.19% |
|
DBE – Disadvantaged Business Enterprise |
13,358 |
3.9% |
|
Total |
110,555 |
31.3% |
|
Local Business Preference
For opportunities exceeding $25,000, the Local Business Preference Program allows for local businesses to submit a new offer if within 5% of the lowest bidder. There were no instances of the Bid Preference utilized in this reporting period.
Dollar Value Awarded to Local and Bay Area Businesses
The dollar value of Purchase Orders issued for the period was $23,846,811. The dollar value awarded to Contra Costa County businesses was $3.6 million. The value awarded to other Bay Area businesses was 19.8% or $4.7 million. This represents Contra Costa County’s contribution to the local economy.
Contra Costa County |
$3,616,158 |
15.1% |
Other Bay Area Counties |
$4,709,872 |
19.8% |
Other |
$15,520,781 |
65.1% |
Total |
$23,846,811 |
100.0% |
Conclusion
The County has demonstrated continued commitment to achieving the 50% goal for participation by SBE firms in contract and purchasing activities. While the data for some departments is below this threshold, departments are showing some interest in increasing the percentage of awarded contracts. Instruction is being provided on the search features of the purchasing system, to assist in identifying businesses in the small, local, women, minority, veteran and disadvantaged business categories |