MILWAUKEE — Minority and women-owned businesses would get an advantage via bid preference when they seek contracts with the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Milwaukee convention host committee, according to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Under a proposed framework agreement between the City of Milwaukee and RNC, this includes contractors that retain minority and women owned businesses as well. The proposed agreement also states bidders who hire Milwaukee city residents would qualify for bid-preference, the Milwaukee Business Journal reports. Bid preferences are to help ensure city residents and businesses would benefit from the city hosting the convention.
The bid preferences are a big selling point for supporters of the city hosting the 2024 convention. The agreement says the Milwaukee RNC host committee would have a "critical importance" on hiring “diverse and historically underutilized businesses” and local labor and businesses, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. The proposed agreement defines those businesses as ones owned by women, minorities, veterans, disabled people and LGBTQ people.
The Milwaukee Common Council needs to approve the agreement by June to meet a deadline for the Republican National Committee. It could be taken up at the next Common Council meeting on Wednesday, June 1.
RELATED COVERAGE: Milwaukee Common Council committee asks RNC for $6M to host convention
A Milwaukee Common Council committee accepted a substitute resolution, approving a framework agreement between the city and the Republican National Committee earlier this week.
The resolution states the agreement can only be entered if the City of Milwaukee is selected by the Republican National Committee to be the host city and agrees to provide $6 million to the city for the purpose of addressing housing, higher education and workforce development.
The framework agreement plan is used as a way to lay out what thousands of convention goers can expect in terms of services and resources if the RNC were to take place in the Brew City.
