PBC Response to IGO Report on MWBE Participation on PBC Projects
July 7, 2011
On June 20, 2011 the IGO received a response from the Public Building Commission (PBC) regarding the IGO’s June 15, 2011 report on MWBE participation on PBC projects that were completed in 2009. In the response, the PBC takes issue with several of our findings. The PBC’s main points were:
- The IGO does not have access to documents on City-funded projects if the City is not the user department.
- The IGO’s determination that the PBC grossly over-reported MWBE participation was incorrect, not because of miscalculations, but rather because PBC policy is more generous when determining MWBE participation.
Today, the IGO issues its response to the PBC’s June 20, 2011 response. The main points are:
- The IGO agrees that the PBC and IGO continue to disagree over the scope of the IGO’s authority. The IGO urges the Mayor of the City of Chicago to settle this dispute by directing the PBC to cooperate with the IGO in any audit, review, or investigation into PBC activities involving any City funds.
- The PBC’s statement that its policy dictates more generous crediting of MWBE participation is either a misinterpretation of its own policy, or if the PBC truly operates this way, an indication that the PBC runs a likely unconstitutional program.