Comments on: Door open for MWESB fraud /news/2012/10/19/door-open-for-mwesb-fraud/ Building and Construction News in Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest Wed, 25 Mar 2015 22:15:47 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.6 By: Tony Jones /news/2012/10/19/door-open-for-mwesb-fraud/#comment-82704 Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:07:57 +0000 /?p=89260#comment-82704 It is imperative for all primes, state and government agencies to monitor and enforce accurate accounting of utilization of MWESB firms. This includes prior to listing the firm toward meeting the utilization goal, checking into their ownership and whether the owners perform a commercially usable function. A number of public agencies have demonstrated and expended extensive dollars on disparity studies and determined their are disparities in race and gender in certain areas of contracting. The only way to know if agencies are making progress on equitable distribution of the dollars is to monitor and enforce what businesses can be counted toward the MWESB goals. Like Jeffery Jones indicated in the article if there is no compliance review or enforcement, their is more likely to be non compliance and fraud.

What Ms Elkins fails to realize is the certification is created to provide economic equity to under represented businesses in public procurement. Her company can conduct the “legal” business practices they choose, but when they secure a public contract, they should not be counted toward meeting the economic equity goal of a public agency on a project.

Since public agencies invest alot of money to state they are providing opportunities to MWESBs, it would make sense to invest some money into monitoring the firms to make sure they truly meet MWESB goals..

]]> By: Faye Burch /news/2012/10/19/door-open-for-mwesb-fraud/#comment-81796 Sat, 20 Oct 2012 01:47:58 +0000 /?p=89260#comment-81796 Does this mean that the City is not accepting accountability for how resources are being used ? They are tracking utilization of firms in these categories as dollars spent in support of MWESB firms that may not necessarily benefit the communities or small businesses intended. What is being reported for the City’s use of public funds, federal funds and ARRA dollars? Why isn’t it audited?

Why would a woman with 0 masonry experience open a firm that is the exact duplicate of her husbands firm except for the unlawful practice of obtaining work and projects for her husbands firm. Does It mean that she is standing in Front of her husband for these opportunities.

Why also would that woman owned firm be awarded and or permitted to manage and control a business doing the public’s work. City Inspectors, City Project Managers should know at a glance that they do not have a woman with any masonry experience. It sounds like everyone knew but it just wasn’t anyone’s responsibility to do anything about it.

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