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SPOTLIGHT 9.1% Doesn't Equal Economic Justice:

What the Harris County Commissioners Court Disparity Study Reveals

By Subcontractors USA News Provider

Ensuring that minorities, women, and other disadvantaged groups have fair access to economic opportunity is a top priority for the Harris County Commissioners Court. Minority and women-owned businesses play a vital role in the local economy and are driving the growth of new business and jobs in Harris County. Advancing fair and inclusive economic policies to bolster their long-term success will help create wealth and jobs within the community.

Two years ago, Harris County Commissioners Court commissioned a disparity study to determine if minority- and women-owned businesses have access to government contracting and procurement. In other words, a disparity study reveals if there is a problem. Initial results revealed: there is a big problem.

“Although minorities and women make up a significant portion of our local economy as small business owners and entrepreneurs, they often face barriers that undermine their long-term ability to thrive and compete in the 21st century economy,” Commissioner Rodney Ellis said. “It is imperative that all people have a fair chance to contribute and succeed.”

Here are some troubling facts that the disparity study found:

• Only 9.1% of Harris County's contracts are with minority or womenowned businesses. Only 0.5% of our contract dollars go to Black-owned businesses; 0.6% to Asian-owned firms; and 4.6% to Latinx-owned businesses. Those figures are not at all representative of the businesses who could and want to contract with Harris County. • The study also found disparities in wages, business earnings, and business formation rates for minorities and women in all industry sectors in the County's marketplace.

“To level the playing field, I asked the county to conduct the study because it was the critical step in establishing a minorityand women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) program,”

Rodney Ellis Harris County Commissioner

Commissioner Ellis said. “The results were dismal. Only 9.1% of Harris County's contracts are with MWBE. When disparities exist, a gender- or race-conscious approach is appropriate and allowable.”

A disparity study helps governments legally justify an MWBE program by ensuring the program meets a compelling governmental interest—in this case, remedying past discrimination in contracting and procurement—and is narrowly tailored to further that interest. The Disparity Study is the first step. While the Harris County Commissioners Court will be opening their Office of Economic Equity and Opportunity later this year, contracting is not going to wait until its open, therefore, the work to start creating a Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program needs to begin right away.

“We must act quickly because MWBEs are critical to strengthening and diversifying our region’s economy and creating wealth and economic opportunity in our local communities where they are needed most,” Commissioner Ellis said.

"[This pandemic] is just an offshoot of those disasters,” Tony Council, president of TLC, said. “Now, instead of it being a hurricane or flood, it’s a pandemic. So, one thing that we must do in all those situations is clean up and reinvigorate the city. It just seemed natural for us to go into the Coronavirus disinfecting.”

By Subcontractors USA News Provider

TLC Engineering, Inc. has provided exponential aid in every presidentially declared disaster to hit the City of Houston since Hurricane Ike in 2008. As a City of Houston-certified Minority, Small, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and state of Texas registered Historically Underutilized Business, they specialize in customized services in the areas of engineering, environmental services, construction management and inspections and, of course, disaster management.

While the majority of TLC’s past work was focused on the clean up from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods, the clean up for the COVID-19 pandemic is not so different. TLC’s team is already equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to provide work that focuses on getting the City of Houston reopened and back on its feet. For this disaster, however, they have shifted their focus to a more high-tech form of cleaning.

“[This pandemic] is just an offshoot of those disasters,” Tony Council, president of TLC, said. “Now, instead of it being a hurricane or flood, it’s a pandemic. So, one thing that we must do in all those situations is clean up and reinvigorate the city. It just seemed natural for us to go into the Coronavirus disinfecting.”

Through countless hours of research, testing and trial and error, TLC has created a top-notch system focused on the use of Ultraviolet light to help places of business disinfected and get to a point of reopening. Instead of relying on the standard spraying, fogging and wiping down method of cleaning, TLC’s UV-C light machines offer a deeper level of cleaning that reaches the point of actually sterilizing items. This is especially necessary for sensitive items such as keyboards and computers, which cannot be thoroughly cleaned by the standard methods. “Cleaning up for a hurricane or flood is really focused on more physical work,” Council said. “But, here, what we have is airborne bacteria that we cannot see. Therefore, the cleanup needed to be more high-tech. When this pandemic first occurred, we started with a lot of research, seeing what was available to get this done, and we found this particular UV system that is the top technological system available. So, I decided to invest in some of the equipment and do our part in getting this city back open.” Although this is a new form of technology for TLC, that required a lot of trial and error to perfect, Council says he is confident they have mastered the system and can offer their clients a safe and sterile place of business upon the completion of their services. Shanti Vann, Senior Technician at TLC, says their team has gone through several hours of training and certification, including the Hazwoper 40 hour training, to ensure they are offering the best services. Once the technicians are trained, completing the actual process is relatively straightforward. “We typically start with the UV wand and go over what the big machine will not be able to get to,” Vann said. “Then, we set the machine on a timer, and it cleans with whole space within that time. We use a dosimeter card so our clients can have a visual representation that the space is legally disinfected. We also swab as a second verification. We swab before and then again after the cleaning, and we send that to a lab that tests for bacteria as well as viruses like COVID-19.” Once the cleaning is complete, clients are given a certificate to display in their window as well as a digital version to share online that shows they have been legally dis

infected and are safe to resume business.

Whether it is mold, lead, asbestos or other illnesses, environmental analysis and mitigation is a significant aspect of TLC’s operations.

TLC has spent years cultivating a strong relationship with the City of Houston and has sent proposals in the hopes of becoming engaged in the work to help this city overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and get the Houston’s economy and quality of life back to its best.

“As a team, we are committed to restoring a healthy work environment and getting this city back on its feet,” Council said. “And as the only company offering this high-tech form of cleaning, I think we could play a major part in the fast and safe reopening of Houston.”