Equity in County Contracting Initiative
SCG collaborated with LA County representatives and community based organizations towards the Equity in County Contracting initiative, prioritizing the simplification of contract solicitation and design, access and submission, and executing and managing contracts. In August 2022, we supported a motion in the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors promoting nonprofit equity in contracting. This included commitment to action like: creating a centralized contracting office, updating the County’s staff training and technical assistance, tracking ECC progress against goals, expanding the social enterprise and prompt payment programs, addressing the timely and adequate compensation and reimbursement issues that threaten the sustainability of CBO service providers. The motion represents real movement by the County to look beyond the planning process to achieve more specific accountability for implementation of the policies and practices that will allow more funds to be targeted to the areas hardest hit by the pandemic and reach our County’s most vulnerable citizens.
Why It Matters
Federal, state, and local governments partner with nonprofit organizations to provide services to communities and complete projects that benefit Californians. These government-nonprofit partnerships, when effective, provide nonprofits with the resources they need to meet government’s policy, services, and program goals, and provide the government with a strong, diverse supply chain of providers. The fact is that government and nonprofits are interdependent, and our successful partnership is critical for meeting Californians’ needs. To effectively collaborate, we rely on contracts, policies, and processes that lay out critical details governing our shared goals and working relationships that drive the results. We share the state’s interest in ensuring that such agreements result in efficiency, fairness, and most importantly: the best possible services for Californians. The philanthropic community has a crucial role to play in supporting this effort by encouraging government entities to make contracting processes more accessible and advocating for initiatives that ensure equity in contracting.