MGT was retained by the City and County of Denver to conduct a Minority-, Women-, Disadvantaged-Owned Business Enterprise Disparity Study to provide current data on the Denver Small Business Opportunity programs, examine availability and utilization of Minority-, Women-, Disadvantaged-Owned Business Enterprises, and assess the impact of race- and gender-neutral remedial efforts. The City and County of Denver also contracted MGT to conduct a Registered Apprenticeship Study to research the availability of Construction-related registered apprenticeships in the Denver Metro Area; to learn how Construction apprenticeships interface with City and County of Denver-funded projects; and to identify any current barriers for individuals to enter apprenticeships.
The Disparity Study analyzed Construction and Construction-related Professional Services, the procurement of Concession-related goods and services at Denver International Airport, and procurement of Services and Goods awarded by the Denver’s purchasing division. The study consisted of a legal review and analysis; review of contracting policies, procedures, and programs; analyses of the geographic market area, utilization, availability of qualified firms, and disparity; analyses of anecdotal evidence through telephone surveys, focus groups, individual interviews, and public hearings; and analyses of the presence of disparity in the private sector. The Registered Apprenticeship Study included a review of available registered apprentices; an analysis of the utilization of apprentices on Denver projects; a collection of data on registered apprentice program sponsors; a survey of registered apprentice program sponsors; and gather information on programs promoting the utilization of registered apprentices by local governments similar in size to Denver.
The Availability and Disparity study presented evidence to support continuing Denver’s M/WBE program and extending the program to selected goods and services examined in the report. The disparity study further provided evidence to support the setting of annual aspiration goals by business category. The Registered Apprenticeship Study provided fact-finding results on apprenticeship trends and practices, which included findings on registered apprenticeship availability, registered utilization on Denver projects, registered apprenticeship programs in Denver, survey results of registered apprenticeship program sponsors, and programs which promote registered apprenticeship utilization. Findings showed a growth in the number of registered apprentices in the Denver MSA, utilization was concentrated in electrical followed by plumbing and elevator constructors, and most of the apprenticeship programs are in Construction in general and nearly half in electrical in particular.
