Rod Watson: Bills stadium project could use more frequent – and more public – diversity reports

If that’s true, it should follow that what gets measured more frequently gets done more quickly.

That is something Erie County Legislature Chairwoman April Baskin will seek to make sure the good intentions and improved processes for ensuring diversity on the Buffalo Bills stadium project translate into actual contracts and jobs for minorities, females and veterans.

Making sure all segments of the community reap the benefits of the $850 million public investment in the $1.54 billion stadium has always been a concern. But it has taken on added urgency since June, when an Empire State Development review of initial stadium contracts found that the project was not meeting its goals of 15% each for minority- and women-owned business enterprises and 6% for service-disabled and veteran-owned businesses.

County officials said that shortfall resulted in some “difficult conversations” with the Bills and the Gilbane/Turner construction management team overseeing the effort, but that everyone is committed to making sure the project has a “lasting community impact.”

James Blackwell, county Equal Employment Opportunity director, said that since those early meetings and with prompting from the county in cooperation with the state, the project’s website has dramatically improved. Changes include making clear that small companies don’t have to submit the pre-clearance vetting information required of larger firms, a rigorous process that might have dissuaded some MWBEs or SDVOBs from participating.

The website now also includes prime contractor names and contact info to make it easier for potential subcontractors to make connections, as well as a “frequently asked questions” section in a bid to make the process more transparent and easier for MWBEs and SDVOBs to navigate.

Figuring out how to be included in the project has been such a challenge that Baskin had…