The Division of Equity Compliance and Social Impact (DECSI), formerly known as the Division of Contract Compliance and Minority Affairs, is working to boost Syracuse's economic growth by partnering with diverse local businesses on City contracts.
How is the City boosting Syracuse's economy for all?
- Promoting diversity, fairness, and inclusivity in City purchasing
- Championing local businesses run by minorities, service-disabled veterans, and women
- Supporting historically marginalized businesses in our community to help them thrive
Next Social impact Event:
What We Do
Offer expert guidance to the City's Purchasing team, departments, and vendors, to enable effective planning, monitoring, and reporting of equity and inclusion objectives.
Manage the City's certification process for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOBs).
Manage the City's compliance software and comprehensive directory, to provide our certified businesses with the visibility and recognition they deserve and ensure we are meeting the City's equity goals.
Vendor Self-Services and Resources
Equity Impact Initiatives
Projects that help make sure all people in the City of Syracuse are treated fairly. These efforts look at city programs and services to find and fix unfair systems. The goal is to give everyone, especially those who have been left out in the past, a fair chance to succeed. By including equity in how the city makes decisions, we can build a stronger and more welcoming Syracuse for all.
Good Faith Efforts
Good Faith Efforts are the meaningful actions taken by a contactor awarded a contract to include certified Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business in contracting opportunities. This includes reaching out to relevant firms, clearly outlining available work, following up on responses, fairly reviewing all proposals, and documenting why firms were or were not selected.
- Clear, targeted outreach to certified MWBEs or SDVOBs that provide relevant services.
- Documentation of the specific scopes of work made available for subcontracting.
- Follow-up with firms that respond to solicitations or submit quotes.
- Consideration of all reasonable proposals received.
- A transparent explanation for the selection or non-selection of MWBE or SDVOB firms.
Local Hiring Ordinance
The City of Syracuse requires that City residents make up 20% of the workforces of prime vendors’ awarded city-funded construction and non-professional service contracts above $100,000.
City's Workforce Diversification Program
The City of Syracuse maintains a goal for workforce diversity (18% minority group members, and 12% women) for city-funded construction and professional service contracts above $50,000. We collect and analyze data on vendors’ workforce diversity to better inform how businesses are meeting their equity goals on city contracts.
Prevailing Wage Rate
Under New York State Labor Law, contractors and subcontractors must pay the prevailing rate of wage and supplements (fringe benefits) set for Onondaga County by the NYS Department of Labor to all workers under a public work contract. This applies to all laborers, workers or mechanics employed under a City of Syracuse public work contract.
New York State and Federal Equity Goals
We monitor and report on the City’s achievement of New York State and Federal equity goals for state- and federally-funded projects. Click here to learn more about how to get involved with these opportunities as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) or State-certified M/WBE or SDVOB.