EIP Background and Launch
The EIP was co-founded in early 2021 by Phillip A. Washington, CEO of Denver International Airport, John D. Porcari, former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and others in anticipation of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), along with regional and state infrastructure investments. EIP partners are committed to catalyzing President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and his June 2021 executive order to increase the share of diverse firms securing federal, state, and local contracts across multiple modes of transportation and infrastructure.EIP Pledge signers have committed to:
- Increasing prime contracting opportunities for HUBs.
- Streamlining processes for obtaining necessary disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) certifications.
- Improving payment time.
- Expanding access to financing to help HUBs meet infrastructure contracts by working with private and public partners.
- Increasing the number of EIP Pledge signatories.
Leading by Example
Gannett Fleming joins a diverse group of partners that have taken the EIP Pledge, including the five “First Mover Pledge Signers”:- Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
- Denver International Airport.
- Port of Long Beach.
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA).
“This historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revamp public contracting practices and create more opportunities for historically underutilized businesses,” said Gannett Fleming CEO Bob Scaer, PE. “Gannett Fleming is honored to pledge our commitment to support the EIP. It’s smart business, and it aligns directly with our company’s vision ‘to be a driving force in improving our communities and sustaining our world’ as well as with our culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B).”
Esther McGinnis, executive vice president and environmental, social, and governance director for Gannett Fleming, sits on the EIP Advisory Council, which is comprised of senior executives from the public and private sectors, along with non-governmental organization partners, and promotes broad industry engagement and commitments to equity in infrastructure.
Gannett Fleming was proud to attend and support a March 1, 2023, event hosted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in Washington, D.C., to welcome 13 new state departments of transportation to the EIP: Puerto Rico, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington State, and Wisconsin.
Gannett Fleming also attended and supported the Jan. 9, 2023, signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) hosted by AASHTO in Washington, D.C., between CTA and SEPTA. The MOU represents a groundbreaking agreement for mutual certification that gives small and minority businesses the ability to compete for work with either agency without undertaking additional paperwork. The historic signing is expected to facilitate greater DEI&B on CTA and SEPTA project teams, with an ultimate goal of broader reciprocity and even a national certification database.
Enhancing Our DEI&B Culture
Gannett Fleming’s culture is rooted in a strong embrace of DEI&B, which includes:- Four award-winning employee resource groups (ERGs) representing early-career professionals, women, military veterans, and LGBTQ+ employees and allies.
- A successful mentorship program, Connected Relationships™.
- A dedicated DEI&B Steering Committee that monitors and advances progress against key benchmarks.
- Regular programming that elevates a wide range of employee voices and welcomes external experts to promote professional development and DEI&B best practices.
- Companywide education about religious and cultural observances.
- Required, companywide unconscious bias training.
The results? Gannett Fleming is currently home to the largest number of women and minority employees in its history, and more than 90% of employees say they would recommend Gannett Fleming as an employer.