December 11, 2024

The DEI conundrum (part two): How AEC firms can do a better job of responding to these questions on proposals

Flattery

For part one of this article, which ran in last week's DJC, I interviewed Amy James Neel from Portland Community College (PCC) about PCC's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion criteria for proposals. For this article, I interviewed Hanna Emerson-Steed, the director and chief procurement officer at Oregon State University (OSU).

Unlike PCC, OSU does not have set percentage requirements for utilization of Minority, Women-owned, Emerging Small Business, and Service-disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (MWESB) or Certified Office of Business Inclusion (COBID) firms for its project teams, but they do encourage proposers to be as inclusive as possible.

Within an OSU RFP, Emerson-Steed confirmed that proposers can expect to answer questions on who these MWESB and/or COBID firms are and how they meet the criteria, a firm's description of non-discrimination practices, a narrative of a firm's current workforce diversity plan, and a description of how the team will work according to the means and methods described in that plan.

OSU accepts both certified and self-certified firms and COBID is not more advantageous than MWESB. “If you are a small entity, you must pick where your time and effort is spent. Those are some tough choices that a business may have to make,” Emerson-Steed said adding that OSU understands that COBID certification is a rigorous and costly process.

To successfully meet OSU's DEI expectations, Emerson-Steed encourages firms to look at the school's website which has information within its construction and design standards for inclusivity, covering a host of requirements for creating a welcoming environment where all can participate equally. In addition, the university has an Equity Data Insight Portal that's worth exploring to get a sense of what they track and their demographics and commitment to DEI both on campus and with their staff.

Besides researching online, Emerson-Steed suggests AEC firms ask questions at pre-proposal meetings. “I think there's sometimes fear around this, but we don't penalize people for asking questions,” she said. She added that firms are welcome to reach out to the Procurement, Contracts and Materials Management department anytime (even if there isn't an RFP) if they are looking to strengthen their workforce diversity plan.

MWESB INCLUSION & WORKFORCE DIVERSITY PLAN RESPONSES

Since OSU does not have a targeted percentage that must be met for project team members, I asked if, all things being equal, they would still go with the team that had the most diversity. “Our selection committee evaluates everything in a proposal but the workforce diversity section. That is scored by a separate committee,” Emerson-Steed said. Although 10 MWESB team members is better than eight, she said there's a lot more to that section and its scoring. The review team wants to see growth in that area — not just with team members but with in-house workforce plans. They want to see the data and how a firm has changed and developed over the years.

Emerson-Steed also explained that different people may be evaluating proposals on different RFPs. Therefore, some evaluators may not know that a company has 50% more participation than on their last project. Because of this, OSU asks for a three-year track record, so firms are evaluated fairly. “I firmly believe that no one should get a perfect score in this section — there's always work to be done,” she added.

RESPONDING TO HOW FIRMS WORK WITH MWESB COMMUNITIES

OSU is interested in the methodologies firms use to meet these communities and bring them on their team. For example, are firms simply posting opportunities in one place and hoping someone will see them, or are they hosting events to get to know these firms in earnest? It's the difference from checking the compliance box to moving to the next level that reaches beyond compliance where a firm is looking at meaningful, actionable change.

“Maybe you took a massive electrical package and brought in an MWESB firm to build their skill set so that they can work with OSU in a larger capacity,” Emerson-Steed said. She also recommended alternatives to on-the-job training. Firms can also consider training MWESBs in marketing or helping them implement billing systems — any technical barriers these firms might have. “Maybe you set a schedule of events and specific steps to maximize an inclusive partnership.”

As for large subcontractors designating a percentage of the work to small firms, Emerson-Steed said there are alternate ways to putting a team together. “We want our design professionals and general contractors to build the best team. But you can mentor them by subcontracting a portion of the job as a learning experience,” she said.

STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION PRACTICES

Although it doesn't hurt to be familiar with federal and state practices, OSU has non-discrimination policies and practices for the institution. They are on the front page of every solicitation and Emerson-Steed said it's a good idea to be familiar with them.

Statements about not tolerating discrimination are good, but OSU is looking for something a bit more forward thinking and Emerson-Steed says it's important to shy away from boilerplate information. They would like to see specifics within that policy that demonstrate active engagement. This can include annual staff trainings, DEI workshop attendance, and/or specific initiatives in the workplace to combat disparities, to name a few.

There are retention issues when women and people of color are underrepresented in the workplace. In those circumstances, women and people of color tend to leave because they feel uncomfortable and have no peers. OSU wants to know what you're doing to keep these people on staff and to attract their peers into your firm. What offers and opportunities are you creating? Have you enabled them to connect with other communities they are interested in? What are you actively doing versus just hiring someone? “There's a pivot where people talk about DEI, but there's another letter on the end of that and it's a B for belonging,” Emerson-Steed said. “So, we get the diversity, we get the equity, we get the inclusion, but we all know what it feels like to belong because if you don't, you know it.”

One excellent example Emerson-Steed has is to bring in an architect of color within your firm for design reviews. She notes that they will see the project with different eyes and can advise the team on areas within the design that aren't inclusive of their culture.

DOES IT BOLSTER A PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE SPECIALIZED SUBS?

“It's hard to say,” Emerson-Steed said. “We're asking you to look at this project, and with your knowledge, skills, and expertise, put the team together that will do the best job.” She added that, if your firm doesn't have the expertise, then it's wise to bring in a sub for that. She also noted that if it's a sub you haven't teamed with, you have the extra challenge of demonstrating how that relationship will work. However, she said she doesn't think it's necessarily a dealbreaker. “They partnered somewhere, and it was very successful somewhere, so you just have to show us what you're going to do to make it work.” Emerson-Steed emphasized that OSU selection committees can “sniff from a mile away” when team members have just met for the first time in the lobby before the interview.

OSU can also spot if the team relationships are genuine. “I have seen more junior members of teams, more women and people of color brought in on teams, that are dominated in a conversation by someone. I can tell you it matters 100%. You may have come in as the number one proposing firm, and that interview will make the difference.”

DEBRIEFS

Emerson-Steed stresses the importance of debriefs, even for successful proposers. “If I could emphasize that more than anything, there's always something you can learn.” On the flip side, she said that OSU likes to learn what they can do better. What wasn't clear in the RFP? Was it too wordy? Did they omit a goal or outcome that would have been helpful when preparing a response? “This is of great importance and significance to us,” she said. “We want to know this so that we can also improve.”

Julie Flattery has worked in the AEC profession for over 30 years and uses this knowledge to help firms improve their verbal and visual communications. She also teaches workshops on the Art of Proposal Creation through a co-owned business, Deconstructed Workshops. You can reach her at jflatteryco@gmail.com.

Related Stories:

• The DEI conundrum: How AEC firms can do a better job of responding to these questions on proposals  12-04-2024