Resources
The News
Spanish
Login
Weather Forecast
|
Houston, TX
|
|||||||
 |
|
||||||
|
 SW
|
||||||
| Show more details | |||||||
| Select your city... | |||||||
|
|||||||
Home 
Government & Business The State of Texas Disparity Study – 2009
Government & Business The State of Texas Disparity Study – 2009
| The State of Texas Disparity Study – 2009 |
 |
 |
Tweet Me!
| Written by Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Office | ||||
| Wednesday, 21 April 2010 17:25 | ||||
Set as favorite
Share FaceBook & Other
Email This
Hits: 1942 Trackback(0)
Comments (14)
  written by True Religion Canada, April 17, 2012
it also turns many people off because you must also pay for shipping to http://www.canadatruereligionoutlet.com/ actually receive the products that you buy online. Retailers get so many sizes and so many of the same jacket, chances are that you will still find http://www.canadatruereligionoutlet.com/ something you like. But if you are shopping online for North Face jackets, it would be more cheap and has more styles to choose.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
 written by buy quartz watches, April 04, 2012
Thanks for providing such informative post, I have subscribed your blog, keep up good work. I don't need sex, life fucks me everyday.❤
buy quartz watches report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
 written by Michael Baugh, April 23, 2010
As a representative for my company (Third Party Inspection Service provider) I am finding that we are being marginalized in the competitive bidding process where government contracting is concerned due to the fact that government entities such as TXDOT effectively act as their own inspection service and therefore are in charge of inspecting themselves, which holds potential dangers in and of itself. These expanded roles of "self performance" that government based companies have within the industry nullify the whole HUB, DBE, certification/setaside program structure due to a monopolization of certain scope-of-work designations, in our case, inspection services. How can we compete for a contract if there is no contract to be had in the first place, although there is work to be performed? This makes our HUB status worthless.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +1
 written by C Bartlett, April 22, 2010
I serve as office manager of a small Engineering/Surveying company in a small university town that has been a registered HUB firm for more than 10 years. My husband is one the partners and his partner has the minority status. Even though we have received several contracts for jobs (mostly subcontracts working with very large firms for TxDOT) because we fulfill a HUB percentage for the big firm, I also feel like the HUB program, in many ways, is actually a form of reverse discrimination. I actually "justify" getting these jobs only because it is a way for our small business to get a small piece of the pie. Since the economy slowdown the last few years, especially in the private sector, we have been attempting to propose on more government projects as a prime. We have come to realize that the difficulty in getting government work is NOT race/gender bias as much as it is discrimination against being SMALL. Many proposals solicited by government agencies, both state and federal, are extremely complicated and have many requirements for experience or dollar volume that completely preclude a small business from even applying, much less be competitive. Many of these agencies are doing IDIQ contracts for professional services covering large geographical regions which means the "winning" firm/firms must have more than one office with lots of employees - i.e. NO SMALL BUINESSES. Many of these firms are either out of state or at least from across the state when the actual project is in our backyard. The HUB requirements will sometimes make these large firms go seek out smaller HUB firms for subcontracting opportunities, but not very often. The university in our town hires us because we are here and do a great job at what we do - getting a HUB firm is just a bonus for them. Yet another reason to just get the government out of this business altogether - REAL capitalism means hiring the best and the most competent firm to do the job in the most economical way possible.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +4
 written by R Brawn, April 22, 2010
This program only requires that the person or government entity solicit bids from registered HUB's. There has never been a requirement that they award the bid to the HUB. In situations where the government entity is required to only solicit/examine bids from three sources, this is a reasonable requirement to ensure that a HUB gets the opportunity to bid. Even though our company is a registered HUB, we have never been guaranteed, or received an award if we were not competitive. What we were given was the opportunity to bid.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +4
 written by Mary, April 22, 2010
What happened to jobs being given to firms that can do the quality of work required for the best price?
I personally am sick and tired of people being given preferential treatment based on race or ethnicity. A competitive market place drives businesses to figure out how to better their product/service and to stay at a price point that is competitive. Based on the comments above...it sounds like the State of Texas is paying PREMIUM prices. Has a study been done to see if they are getting a PREMIUM product. Maybe that's the study that should be conducted. Are we getting what we're paying for...or are we more concerned with the race/ethnicity of the business than quality and competitive pricing. This is REVERSE DISCRIMINATION! report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +1
 written by Sri Raju, April 22, 2010
The issues discussed by some in this discussion are less to do with the HUB program and its legitimate attempt to level the playing field to people who are disadvanted but more related to the enforcement of the policies and the intent of the law. If some people are misusing, they should be identified and shut down. There is no doubt that the program is helpful to people who otherwise would not have access to the people and opportunities due to their background, race, gender etc. There are some excellent people in these minority communities. Their education level and expertise tends to be high - they don't have the scale and resources to compete with well connected larger players.
So lets tighten the enforcement of the law rather than blaming the law. This is fair to everyone including HUBs like ours which is run professionally and tends to experience similar issues due to misuse by other HUBs that may be using inappropriate tactics. report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +1
 written by Jody Vowell, April 22, 2010
In my opinion HUB based procurement is reverse discrimination. It is precluding publically traded companies and established ethically sound private companies.
While there are many honorable comapanies that qualify for HUB, I believe that for every honorable company there are more dishonest companies that are purposefully circumventing HUB requirements by bringing on minority partners at 51% ownership while using masked subagreements to change proportional ownership. Additionally, established businesses are changing their ownership structure on paper to show their wive's as principals in order to qualify for HUB. There are also companies funneling non-traditional business through HUB vendors for % based fees to circumvent HUB requirements. It's a sham that awards bending the rules and compromised ethics. The companies that aren't willing to go there miss the opportunities. The most qualified companies, regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender of the owners, should be awarded the work. 
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +2
written by Jody Vowell, April 22, 2010
In my opinion, HUB procurement on Public projects in Texas is reverse discrimination. There are companies out there that are contriving ways to circumvent these HUB requirements by doing things such as funneling materials and equipment through HUB certified vendors for a % based fee. These HUB vendors would not normally distribute certain items. Additionall, private company owners are bringing on minority partners, or signing the business into their wive's names at 51% ownership with masked subagreements.
Excellent public companies and other private companies who uphold ethics are precluded from these projects unfairly. The HUB factor should be eliminated, and the best, most qualified companies should be awarded the work. report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +3
 written by Mario Trevino, April 22, 2010
Obviously the commentor does not understand the basis and rationale for the availability/disparity studies which are to correct - in a balanced and fair way the current and hidtorical discrimination that already took place against racial and gender protected groups. The very discrminatory effect that he complaints about is what has taken place against these racial/gender groups for many, many years.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +2
 written by mike spann, April 22, 2010
After being told several times that I was the low bid, but the contract was going to a HUB, sometimes at more than 50% of my bid, I think the program is doing more harm than good to racial relations and is costing taxpayers a considerable amount of money. Many of these HUB's are white males who have registered the business in their names. I'm in the commercial printing business and virtually every HUB I know in the area is a broker whose most expensive piece of equipment is a fax machine. It's time for the program to be discontinued.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +2
 written by Ron Saikowski, April 22, 2010
HUB procurement is legalized discrimination against white business owners. The encouragement of utilizing HUB's legitimately hurts non-HUB businesses and provides an artifical protection on businesses that could not make it technally in the business field. A better way to approach this situation is to remove ALL discrimination barriers.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +2
 written by Bill Johnson, April 22, 2010
I vehemently disagree with preferential treatment based upon gender and race. As a white male working within the Architect/Engineer community, I have seen nothing but discrimination against me and other white male owned companies since my career began in 1985. I have lost countless projects throughout the years where the prime contractor preferred my company, but was forced to submit to HUB goals.
Recently, I lost yet another project, this time for Dallas Area Rapid Transit, to a company in Minnesota. Their fee was higher than was mine, and the project is in my back yard being paid for by my tax dollars. Ironically, I employ a greater percentage of females and minorities than does the company who is simply owned by a minority. So in an effort to "level the playing field", these HUB goals are hurting the very people they are supposedly there to help. It is way past time to remove any and all race and gender bias, and treat all companies based on merit. How about we all just be Americans and quite driving a wedge between races??? report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +7
Write comment
|
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Upcoming Events
No current events.
Poll of the Month
Texans Quotes
" Texas has a lot of challenges, but if I choose to run I will talk about opening democracy to mainstream Texans and not just to a closed circle of entrenched ideologues. "