Our coalition of the willing includes industry associations who are a tremendous multiplier of our work. The Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC), under the leadership of President & CEO Eboni Wimbush, is a key partner of EIP’s, and graciously hosted our most recent Advisory Council meeting at its annual Economic Opportunity & Policy Forum in Washington, DC.
There, attendees witnessed a significant addition to EIP as Baltimore/ Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport CEO Ricky Smith signed our Pledge on stage, making our coalition 59-signatories strong.
US DOT Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity
Our Advisory Council meeting included a discussion of the US Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity. We are proud that EIP Co-Chair Phil Washington, our Advisory Council Chair Diana Mendes, and Pledge signers Eboni Wimbush and Washington State Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar were appointed to the committee.
US DOT created the Committee “to provide independent advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation about comprehensive, interdisciplinary issues related to civil rights and transportation equity in the planning, design, research, policy, and advocacy context.”
The Committee’s work is ongoing. Recently, its four subcommittees (Interventions, Power of Community, Expanding Access, and Wealth Creation) presented their progress to Committee Chair Anthony Foxx, former US Secretary of Transportation.
You can stay updated on their activities here. We encourage you to participate, and comments may also be sent to the Committee at acte@dot.gov.
Legal Landscape
Our Advisory Council members also discussed the latest legal challenges that are complicating public sector efforts to promote competition and equity. Along with the Supreme Court decision against university affirmative action programs and the legal challenge to USDOT’s DBE program, a US District Court in Texas recently ruled against elements of the Minority Business Development Agency’s Business Development Program, and a federal challenge was filed against the SBA’s 8a program, which assists disadvantaged small businesses.
This does not deter our work—in fact, it adds urgency to it. As a voluntary coalition, EIP can continue to make progress regardless of the legal landscape. At the same time, we oppose these attacks against competition and equality; we are focused on ensuring our members and public agencies across the country understand how we can continue to improve infrastructure procurement no matter what.
Coalition Updates
- The City of Philadelphia created its Public Works Procurement Forecast to increase participation by historically underutilized businesses by providing potential contractors with more time to plan and prepare competitive bids. Philadelphia recently announced 130 anticipated public works contract opportunities totaling more than $520 million from four agencies: Department of Streets, Philadelphia Airport, the Water Department and the Office of Sustainability/Philadelphia Energy Authority. Learn more here.
- The Chicago Sun Times recently covered the Chicago Transit Authority's efforts to award 20 percent of contracts for the $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization Project, which includes a new bypass, new rail stations and a new signal station. It’s the largest capital project in CTA history, and so far, 119 minority- or female-owned businesses are working on the project, and 54 of these firms are working with CTA for the first time. Read the story here.
- AECOM’s Dwight Pullen, Jr., who is Vice Chair of EIP’s Advisory Council, and his colleague Ken Billups recently authored an article on “the importance of building ‘human infrastructure' with an equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) strategy that drives transformational change in airport communities,” that includes their participation in EIP. Read it here.
- STV recently published an article highlighting its many clients who have signed the EIP Pledge and noted its early and meaningful involvement in our coalition. Read it here.
