Welcome to the Washington State Department of Transportation WSDOT disparity study homepage. This page provides information about:

• Study background and purpose;
• Study progress and next steps; and
• How you can actively engage in the disparity study process.

Please make use of the informational links that can be found on the sidebar to the left.

Background

WSDOT receives funds from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to build, operate, and maintain the state’s various transportation systems. Because WSDOT receives USDOT funds, it must implement the Federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program. The program is designed to ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts in the Department's highway, transit, airport, and highway safety financial assistance programs. The goals of the program are to remedy past and current discrimination against disadvantaged business enterprises, ensure a "level playing field" in which DBEs can compete fairly for DOT-assisted contracts, improve the flexibility and efficiency of the DBE program, and reduce burdens on small businesses.

WSDOT has retained BBC Research & Consulting (BBC) to conduct a disparity study that will provide information to help the department with its implementation of the Federal DBE Program. The study kicked off in December 2011 and is expected to be completed in late 2012. See details about the study schedule (pdf 57 kb).

Purpose of the study

One of the primary purposes of the WSDOT disparity study is to examine whether there are disparities between:

• The percentage of total transportation-related construction and engineering contract dollars that minority- and women-owned businesses received on WSDOT prime contracts and subcontracts between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2011 (referred to as a utilization analysis ); and
  
• The percentage of dollars that those firms would be expected to receive based on their availability to perform work on such prime contracts and subcontracts (referred to as an availability analysis ).

In addition, the study will examine other qualitative and quantitative information related to:

• Legal considerations surrounding implementations of the Federal DBE Program;
• Marketplace conditions for minority- and women-owned businesses;
• Contracting practices and assistance programs that WSDOT currently has in place;
• Helping WSDOT set its overall annual aspirational goal and projecting the portion of the goal that could be met using race- and gender-neutral program measures; and
• Potential program measures for WSDOT to consider implementing as part of the Federal DBE Program.

 
Key Contacts

If you have any questions or comments regarding the 2012 WSDOT disparity study, please contact:

Study Progress

WSDOT will provide regular updates about recently completed milestones and next steps throughout the course of the disparity study. Please check back periodically for those updates.

Recent Milestones

Project initiation. WSDOT and the study team initiated the 2012 WSDOT disparity study in mid-December 2011 with meetings in Tacoma and Olympia. The study team met with WSDOT management and staff as well as with WSDOT’s DBE Advisory Group to introduce the study and to answer questions.  See materials that the study team presented during the project initiation meetings (pdf 223 kb). Also, see more information about the DBE Advisory Group (pdf 59 kb).

Utilization Analysis. BBC collected contracting and vendor data from the Construction Division, Consultant Services Office, the Aviation Division, Public Transportation Division, Washington State Ferries Division, and subrecipient local agencies. Based on those data, BBC has developed prime contract, subcontract, and vendor data tables for the utilization analysis.
BBC conducted utilization telephone interviews with businesses that were utilized on WSDOT transportation contracts during the study period. As part of that process, the study team attempted to contact businesses that WSDOT utilized during the study period on transportation-related construction and engineering contracts. BBC collected information related to each business’s primary line of work and business characteristics such as size and race/ethnicity and gender of ownership.

Availability Analysis. BBC finished conducting availability telephone interviews with Washington businesses that work in industries that are relevant to the transportation contracts that WSDOT awarded during the study period. BBC compiled and analyzed data from the availability telephone interviews for the availability analysis.

Legal Framework and Analysis. BBC and Holland & Knight developed a draft of the legal framework for the disparity study and submitted the draft to WSDOT. After making any revisions and updates, the legal framework will appear in the draft and final disparity study reports. Holland & Knight continues to develop and update the legal framework for the study.

Explanations for Any Observed Disparities. BBC compiled data related to bid outcomes on transportation-related construction and engineering contracts that WSDOT awarded during the study period. BBC used that information to conduct a case study analysis of bid outcomes that examined potential explanations for any disparities that the study team observed between utilization and availability. 

Quantitative Analysis of Marketplace Conditions. BBC conducted quantitative analyses of Washington marketplace conditions in the areas of entry and advancement; business ownership; success of businesses; and access to capital, bonding, and insurance. BBC also analyzed existing data related to the effects of Initiative 200.

Qualitative Analysis of Marketplace Conditions. BBC collected qualitative information about Washington marketplace conditions through 40 indepth anecdotal interviews with local business owners and managers; several public meetings and hearings throughout the state; and several meetings with trade association and business organization representatives. That information will be summarized in the draft and final disparity study reports.

Reports. BBC has been developing a full draft disparity study report that we will deliver to the Office of Equal Opportunity on November 30, 2012. BBC will meet with WSDOT management and the DBE Advisory Group in December to discuss the draft report and will deliver a final disparity study report on or before December 28, 2012.

Next Steps

Delivery of draft report. BBC will deliver a full draft disparity study report to the Office of Equal Opportunity on November 30, 2012.

Draft report meetings. During the week of December 10, BBC will meet with WSDOT management and the DBE Advisory Group to discuss the draft disparity study report and preliminary results.

Delivery of final report. BBC will finalize the disparity study report and deliver a full final disparity study report on or before December 28, 2012.

Presentation of final results. WSDOT and BBC will present final disparity study results at public meetings throughout the state in early 2013. The dates, times, and locations for those meetings are to be determined.