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The Indiana Department of Administration (IDOA) has commissioned BBC Research & Consulting (BBC) to conduct a disparity study to assess whether minority, woman, and veteran owned businesses face any barriers as part of the State of Indiana’s contracting processes. Information from the study will help IDOA assess its efforts to encourage the participation of minority, woman and veteran owned businesses in state contracts and help inform any refinements that IDOA might make to its implementation of the State’s MBE/WBE/IVOSBs Program or state contracting policies.

Study analyses. The disparity study will focus on construction; professional services; and goods and supplies contracts and procurements that state agencies and state educational institutions (SEIs) awarded between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2018. The crux of the disparity study will be to examine whether there are any disparities between:

• The percentage of contract dollars that state agencies and SEIs spent with minority, woman, and veteran owned businesses during the study period (utilization); and
• The percentage of contract dollars that minority, woman, and veteran owned businesses might be expected to receive based on their availability to perform specific types and sizes of state contracts (availability).
  The study will also examine other qualitative and quantitative information related to:
• Legal considerations surrounding IDOA’s implementation of the MBE/WBE/IVOSBs Program;
• Marketplace conditions for minorities; women; and minority, woman, and veteran owned businesses;
• Contracting policies and business assistance programs that IDOA currently has in place; and
• Program measures for IDOA to consider implementing to further encourage minority, woman, and veteran owned business participation.

Study schedule. BBC initiated the disparity study in September 2019 and will complete the study at the end of December 2020. For the study schedule, click here.

Key contacts. If you have any questions or comments regarding the disparity study, please contact:

IDOA Team

Maia Siprashvili

Deputy Commissioner, Supplier Diversity

Indiana Department of Administration

(t) 317-234-3428

(e) msiprashvili@idoa.in.gov

Kesha Rich  

Director of Certification

Indiana Department of Administration

(t) 317-234-9521

(e) krich@idoa.in.gov

Alternatively, you can contact a member of the project team directly:

BBC Team

Sameer Bawa  
Managing Director

BBC Research & Consulting
(t) 303-321-2547, ext. 247
(e) sbawa@bbcresearch.com

Study progress. IDOA will provide regular updates about BBC’s progress on the disparity study throughout its course. Please check back periodically for those updates.

Project initiation. IDOA and BBC initiated the disparity study in September 2019 with a series of in-person meetings with various IDOA departments and representatives. BBC met with IDOA to introduce the study; answer questions; and begin the process of understanding contracting and vendor data that state agencies maintain.

Data collection. BBC has begun working with IDOA and SEI staff to collect data on contracts that state agencies and SEIs awarded during the study period as well as information about the vendors that participated in those contracts.

Next steps. BBC will engage in the following disparity study tasks in the coming months:

• Community meetings. The project team will conduct six community meetings in the State of Indiana: two on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 in Gary; two on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 in Indianapolis; and two on Thursday, November 14, 2019 in Evansville. During the community meetings, BBC will present information about the disparity study; answer any questions; and solicit participants for any verbal or written testimony that they would like to share regarding their experiences working in the local marketplace.  Please participate and make sure your insights are included as part of the study process!
• Data collection. The project team will continue to work with IDOA and SEIs to collect data on contracts that they awarded during the study period and the vendors that participated in those contracts.
• Data analysis. The project team will begin analyzing data that it collects from IDOA and SEIs. BBC will begin assessing the subindustries that account for the majority of state contracting; the geographical area that is most relevant to state contracting; and the percentage of total contract dollars that minority- and woman-owned businesses received on state prime contracts and subcontracts during the study period.

Availability surveys. The project team will begin conducting availability surveys with businesses in the relevant geographic market area that perform work that is relevant to state contracting. If we contact your business, please participate in the survey process to help ensure an accurate and comprehensive survey process!