Bill > H2757

This bill aims to ensure fair participation of minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs) and women-owned business enterprises (WBEs) on public construction projects by allowing sub-bidders and trade contractors to subcontract portions of their work to meet established participation goals. Specifically, for "applicable projects" which include those procured by the division of capital asset management and maintenance, the Massachusetts State College Building Authority, the University of Massachusetts Building Authority, and the Massachusetts Port Authority, as well as state-assisted building projects costing $5,000,000 or more, awarding authorities may set MBE/WBE participation goals for specific classes of work. These goals cannot exceed 10 percent of the value of the sub-bid or trade contractor work. The bill permits sub-bidders and trade contractors to meet these goals by subcontracting work they would normally perform themselves or that is customarily performed by other subcontractors, with a limit on the value of self-performed work that can be subcontracted to meet the goal. A process for requesting waivers or reductions of these goals will be established by the commissioner.