Sponsor: Finance
Title
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Joint Powers Agreement for the Central Certification Program.
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the Joint Powers Agreement for the Central Certification Program from the date of execution for one year with annual automatic renewals, unless a majority of the Central Certification Program members withdraw, or the program is dissolved.
2. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the Agreement.
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Background and Rationale
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Ramsey County is a member of the Central Certification (CERT) Program, in partnership with Hennepin County and the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (collectively, the Collaborative).
A Joint Powers Agreements (JPA) was submitted for approval and approved by the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners in 2018. Unfortunately, the JPA was not fully executed by all parties at that time. As a result, the Procurement Division within the Finance Department is recommending that the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approve the revised JPA which includes the city of Minneapolis and stipulates the city of Saint Paul continue as the lead agency for CERT. The JPA is also being submitted for approval by the governing bodies of the other Collaborative members, and, when approved, will allow the Collaborative to continue to build on the service provided to small business enterprises in the local marketplace. The new JPA is for a term of twelve months upon execution. The term shall automatically renew annually, unless a majority of the Collaborative members withdraw, or the Collaborative is dissolved. Collaborative members can withdraw by giving a 60-day notice. This JPA includes revisions to the Subscriber clause and inclusion of a Counterparts clause and an Electronic Signature clause.
In 1999, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and Independent School District 625 (collectively, the Collaborative) began to offer a centralized program for certification of small business enterprises, and/or women-owned business enterprises and/or minority-owned business enterprises and/or minority-women owned business enterprises. The certification program became known as the Central Certification Program and was managed by an outside consultant from 1999 through 2003 when the Saint Paul Schools -Independent School District 625 withdrew from the program due to program funding cuts.
In 2004, a JPA was created and submitted by the Collaborative Executive Committee for approval by the governing bodies of the Collaborative members. Since 2004, the city of Saint Paul has served as the lead agency for the CERT. In 2011, the city of Minneapolis left the collaborative but decided to rejoin the Collaborative in 2017.
In 2018, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved a revised JPA which included the city of Minneapolis and stipulated that the city of Saint Paul continue as the lead agency for the CERT. The JPA term was May 1, 2018 through December 31, 2020, unless terminated sooner, and Collaborative members could withdraw by giving a 60-day notice. The term would automatically renew annually, unless a majority of the Collaborative members withdrew, or the Collaborative was dissolved.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
Ramsey County is committed to increasing contract opportunities for the purchases of goods and services from vendors, including non-profits and community-based organizations that reflect the diversity of our community. Participation in CERT allows Ramsey County the opportunity to identify and contract with small owned, minority owned, women owned, minority-women owned and emerging small business enterprises.
Ramsey County reports all actual spending on the Ramsey County open data portal, please see Central Certification Program Small Business Enterprise Spending <https://data.ramseycounty.us/stories/s/4hb6-hrjt>. The majority of the actual spending is the result of contracts that have been executed using small order authority, Ramsey County Board Chair and Chief Clerk authority and County Manager authority.
The graphs on portal show total procurement spending and disaggregates the data by non-profit, government agencies, small minority-owned, small women-owned, and small minority and women owned businesses and breaks down the small business enterprises by ethnicity. As of August 30, 2021, Ramsey County spent a total of $176 million. Of this total, $29 million on nonprofits, $9.7 million on government entities, $5 million on CERT small businesses, $2.4 million on small minority owned businesses, $1.4 million on small minority and women owned businesses, $2 million on small women owned businesses, $1 million on veteran owned businesses, and $124 million with other types of businesses. The report is updated monthly based on actual expenditures.
The county continues to create new and expanded opportunities to grow and sustain small and diverse businesses and support established workforce inclusion goals, that include minority, women owned and minority women owned businesses.
Community Participation Level and Impact
CERT is committed to helping small businesses grow and thrive. CERT exists to assist small businesses, including those owned and operated by minority women, women, minorities and emerging businesses. CERT seeks to promote market growth, increase competitiveness, and create jobs among participating businesses, as well as to improve the quality of life for area residents.
CERT provides outreach opportunities. For example, prior to COVID, CERT held monthly workshops at the Rondo Community Library with the aim of introducing local government contracting programs and assisting the business owners with applying for CERT Certifications. Workshops include procurement representatives from the Collaborative, St. Paul SCORE Program (business mentorship), LegalCORPS, and US Small Business Administration's 8(A) Program to provide additional resources and answer questions. During these workshops, Ramsey County provided DemandStar registration assistance to participants. Information about CERT can be located here: <https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/human-rights-equal-economic-opportunity/contract-compliance-business-development-1>
Ramsey County Procurement and Contracting Action Teams are also using CERT to connect with certified businesses in an effort to increase and diversity the county’s CERT portfolio. More information about CERT Connect can be located here: <https://ramseynet.us/county-governance/county-committees/action-teams/cert-connect>
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
Ramsey County pays the city of Saint Paul $34,270 annually. The annual rate has remained the same since 2018. Funding for this program is included in the proposed 2022 budget.
County Manager Comments
No additional comments.
Last Previous Action
On April 17, 2018, the Ramsey County Board approved the Joint Powers Agreement for the Central Certification Program (Resolution B2018-115).
Attachments
1. Joint Powers Agreement among the City of Saint Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County and City of Minneapolis.