Empowering Cities to Accelerate Equitable Growth

A State Policy Blueprint for Inclusive Municipal Contracting

Prepared in partnership with Lawyers for Civil Rights, this study surveys the landscape for inclusive municipal procurement in Massachusetts. The analysis reveals large racial and ethnic disparities in public contracting and surfaces changes in state law that will empower cities to implement effective supplier diversity policies.

Building on a 2021 MassINC report highlighting the economic imperative to support entrepreneurs of color, this timely analysis can help policymakers position cities to equitably spend an unprecedented infusion of federal resources from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).