Governor Shapiro created the council to help open up new opportunities for small and small diverse businesses, and the Lieutenant Governor will lead the group as they advise Commonwealth agencies on how to increase the amount of money that goes into those businesses’ hands.
HARRISBURG – Continuing to deliver on a Shapiro-Davis campaign commitment to increase and open up new doors of opportunities for small and small diverse businesses to compete for state contracts, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis today convened the first meeting of the Pennsylvania Advisory Council for Inclusive Procurement (PACIP), which was created by Governor Josh Shapiro’s Executive Order in September.
During their campaign, Governor Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Davis heard from small and small diverse business owners about the need for greater support from state government — and they promised to expand economic opportunity and build generational wealth. In their first year in office, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor delivered on that promise by signing Executive Order 2023-18 and forming the PACIP. Lieutenant Governor Davis was appointed Chair of PACIP by Governor Shapiro.
“With this new council, we’re bringing together business leaders from across the Commonwealth, representing diverse communities, to gain their insights and expertise on how we can make sure small and small, diverse businesses are able to compete for – and win – contracts with the state,” said Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis. “When Governor Shapiro and I say we’re going to do something, we go out and do it, and this was a promise we made when we were on the campaign trail, to help businesses owned by Black and brown Pennsylvanians have the opportunity to become Commonwealth vendors.”
The 16-member council will advise Commonwealth agencies on ways to make state contracting opportunities more inclusive. The Lieutenant Governor chairs the PACIP, with Department of General Services (DGS) Secretary Reggie McNeil and Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll serving as co-vice chairs. Employees from DGS and PennDOT also serve on an interagency working group that assists the PACIP.
“The Governor’s Executive Order and the work of the Pennsylvania Advisory Council for Inclusive Procurement are critical because they help bring small, diverse and veteran-owned businesses to the table,” said DGS Secretary Reggie McNeil. “Growing opportunities for small businesses isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do because it attracts diverse perspectives, superior quality and makes the marketplace that much more competitive.”
DGS and PennDOT are working together to improve the Commonwealth’s contracting environment and increase its small business and small diverse business spending as a percentage of all dollars paid for goods and services by the agencies for their respective programs. Under the Executive Order, both agencies will also conduct significant outreach to the small diverse business community and provide key technical support to qualifying small businesses interested in competing for state contracts.
“The Shapiro Administration has shown that it is committed to growing Pennsylvania’s economy and creating opportunity for everyone in the Commonwealth, and I’m excited to get the important work of the PACIP off the ground,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “We’re ready to engage businesses and ensure that partnerships are in place to provide technical assistance, so they can compete for state contracts and make it easier to do business with the Commonwealth. To meet the transportation demands of today and the future, the Shapiro Administration’s work to expand opportunities available to Pennsylvania small diverse businesses will be critical in creating more economic opportunity for all.”
The members of the PACIP include:
Will Allen – Partner/Founder, Magarac Venture and Will Allen Foundation (Allegheny)
Joann Bell – Director, Pugliese Associates (Philadelphia)
Joyce Bender – CEO, Bender Leadership Academy (Allegheny)
Michael Brown – CEO, 360 Group Companies (Philadelphia)
Frederick Clark – CEO, Clark Resources (Dauphin)
Marc Coleman – CEO, The Tactile Group (Philadelphia)
Tracy Foster – Owner, P&W BMW and Mini of Pittsburgh (Allegheny)
Lindsay Griffin-Boylan – President, Wilkes-Barre & Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber (Luzerne)
Andrea Grove-Musselman – Owner, Elementary Coffee (Dauphin)
Edith Gutierrez-Hawbaker – Founder, Te Lo Juro Collective (Lehigh)
Manish Ingle – CEO, Nova Probe (Montgomery)
Jerry Johnson – CEO, Axum Advisors (Philadelphia)
Curtis Jones, Jr. – Director of Government Affairs, Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership (Erie)
Brian Oglesby – President, Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council (Philadelphia)
Derrick Tillman – CEO/President, BTG Development (Allegheny)
Stephanie Turman – President, Always Busy Consulting (Allegheny)
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