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Diversity Participation Plan for the construction phase of the Warrensville City Schools. The plan is designed to provide equal opportunity for traditionally disadvantaged groups to become project construction vendors and suppliers, which will be accomplished through engaging in aggressive outreach, recruitment, and training, to identify qualified minority, women’s, and veteran business enterprises. In addition, we will have an equal focus on the use of small businesses and local businesses from our host community as well as from our neighboring communities.

The Warrensville Heights City School District (“WHCSD” or “Board”) recognizes the need to take action to ensure that minority-owned, women-owned, and disadvantaged business enterprises and minority and women members of the workforce are given the opportunity to participate in the performance of the contracts awarded as part of the Warrensville Heights City School construction projects.
The Board recognizes that this opportunity for the participation in our free enterprise system by persons traditionally, socially and economically disadvantaged is essential to achieving social and economic equality and overcoming historical disparities. Accordingly, the Board fosters and promotes the participation of such individuals and business enterprises.  

The implementation of this Diversity Plan (“Plan”) will create effective processes to increase the purchase of goods and construction services from diverse businesses and workforce members. It will also provide for coordination of local workforce development programs to provide new job opportunities for minority and women workers. This Plan outlines specific procedures aimed at ensuring equal opportunity and diversity in the construction phase of this development. The Plan emphasizes our commitment to diversity as it relates to our vendors, our business partners and our community.  

In sum, we appreciate and respect diversity in all aspects of our business operations and we look forward to supporting and participating in the local community as we build a regional engine of economic growth.

The Plan, in addition to facilitating the other goals set forth is designed to accomplish the following goals: 

a.    Coordinate with ongoing programs at the Warrensville Heights City School District, City of Warrensville Heights, Greater Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, local labor organizations, and not-for-profit agencies to develop, recruit and train a new diverse workforce;

b.    Promote equal and increased opportunities for under-represented business and labor segments throughout the City of Warrensville Heights, Greater Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, to facilitate economic development and to encourage all entities associated with the Board’s procurement and contracting activities to commit to similar outreach and efforts;

c.    Encourage, assist and sustain business development of under-represented populations (including Minorities and Women) and maximize the use of City of Warrensville Heights, Greater Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, based labor, local professional and construction-related business enterprises.

d.    This Plan demonstrates the Board’s commitment to diversity and complies with the Act. The Board envisions the participation goals increasing as capacity increases.

e.    Establish a Diversity Committee. The project development team, along with our construction management firm, will establish a diversity committee for the purposes of our plan’s implementation. The diversity committee will include, but not be limited to, the following:

•    Construction Manager designee

•    Diversity Consultant Designee

•    Warrensville City School designee

•    City of Warrensville Heights designee

•    Village of Highland Hills designee

•    Village of North Randall designee

Construction Mission

Inclusion of minority businesses and other diverse groups on bids for major construction projects is an important issue for the local minority community. We will use a proactive approach to minority participation during the initial build to ensure the inclusion of minority; women and small business owned vendors and subcontractors.

We are dedicated to operating in a manner that creates a positive impact on the communities in which we build. On every major project we work to develop a project specific community outreach plan that will help to further strengthen the local communities. This plan includes strategies that seek to develop and provide for opportunities for Minority Owned, Women Owned and Small Business Enterprises.

These strategies include, but are not limited to:

A primary objective of this Plan is to support workforce development and diversification opportunities that the Program may create. This Plan acknowledges the diverse community of the City of Warrensville Heights, Greater Cleveland and Cuyahoga as reflected in its workforce labor, and provides an opportunity to engage and encourage the participation of community members. This Plan also acknowledges the historical disparity experienced by Women and Minority members of the workforce in gaining access to participate in local projects. These principles are reflected in the workforce participation percentage Goals listed herein.

All firms or other businesses providing goods or services under a Contract meeting the dollar amount threshold set forth in this Plan shall comply with the workforce diversity Goals set forth herein.

Percentage goals: In order to achieve the workforce diversification goals of the Program, each firm or other business providing goods or services shall use its best efforts to ensure that the workforce it engages to perform work for the Program shall demonstrate, in terms of the percentage of actual hours worked under the Contract, and/or contract as amended, participation rates as follows: 

1.    Minority Workforce: 20% of project personnel hours including skilled trades people, trainees, journeymen, apprentices, and supervisory staff.
2.    Female Workforce: 5% of project personnel hours including skilled trades people, trainees, journeymen, apprentices, and supervisory staff.

All Contractors or other businesses providing goods or services under a Contract meeting the dollar amount threshold set forth in this Plan shall comply with the business diversity Goals set forth herein.

Percentage Goals (applicable to the total value of the project): In order to achieve the business development goals of the Program, each Contractor, supplier, professional service firm or other business providing goods or services shall strive to and use Good Faith Efforts to engage minority-owned, woman-owned, disadvantaged business enterprises, and small business enterprises as follows: 

1.    MBE/DBE participation of twenty percent (20%) in contracts for construction
2.    WBE: five percent (5%) of each Contract or purchase order
3.    EDGE participation of five percent (5%)
4.    Participation of Small Business Enterprises are also encouraged

Bidders and Contractors are expected to engage in certain minimal “Good Faith Efforts” to meet and maintain the business and workforce development goals set forth in this Plan.

Diversity refers to the variety of backgrounds and characteristics found in society today; thus it embraces all aspects of human similarities and differences. While we support diversity as an inclusion concept, reality compels us to focus considerable attention on addressing issues related to those individuals and groups that have historically been adversely affected. For purposes of the Diversity Participation Plan, diversity specifically focuses on differences among people with respect to age, sex, culture, race, ethnicity religion, color, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation and veteran status.

A Participation Plan is an obligation imposed by an entity as part of its contract with its construction management firm to take affirmative action to use veteran, minority or women owned business enterprises in performing its contract.

A minority is an individual who is a member of the following ethnic groups:  African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American.

Definition of Women
Women are persons who are identified or who identify as being of the female gender. Participation goals are set for all women, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Definition of Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity (“EDGE”)
A sole proprietorship, association, partnership, corporation, limited liability corporation, or joint venture that is certified by the department of administrative services as meeting the criteria established by the equal opportunity division of the department of administrative services, pursuant to section  123.152 of the Revised Code and is: (1) Owned and controlled by a citizen or citizens of the United States of America, residing in Ohio, and are socially and economically disadvantaged; or, (2) An economically disadvantaged business whose primary business location is in a qualified census tract and the business is owned and controlled by a citizen or citizens of the United States of America, residing in Ohio. 

Definition of Minority Business Enterprise (“MBE”)
Minority business enterprise or “MBE” means a business enterprise that is owned and controlled by one or more socially or economically disadvantaged persons. Such disadvantage may arise from cultural, racial, chronic economic circumstances or background or other similar cause. Such persons include, but are not limited to, African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Western Hemisphere Hispanics, Asians, American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts. The term “minority owned business” shall have the same meaning as “minority business enterprise” and as defined by certifying agencies within the State of Ohio.

Definition of Women Business Enterprise (“WBE” “FBE”)
Women business enterprise or “WBE” or Female business enterprise or “FBE” means a business enterprise that is both owned and controlled, by one or more women who have invested in an ongoing business free of conversion rights. The term “women owned business” or “female owned business” shall have the same meaning as “women business enterprise” and as defined by the certifying agencies within the State of Ohio.

Qualified Spend
The Qualified Spend is the total direct dollar amount of contracts for the construction of the gaming facility, including any indirect subcontractor dollar amount, less the value of construction costs included therein for which there is no M/WBE market available.

Definition of Subcontractor
A subcontractor is a person or business that has a contract with a contractor to provide some portion of the work or services on a project that the contractor has agreed to perform. Subcontractors to this construction project refer to those contracted in the construction trades such as but not limited to plumbing, electrical, roofing, cement work, plastering, drywall, roofing, glaziers, carpentry, etc.

Definition of Vendor/Supplier
A vendor is an individual or business that provides goods and services to the project but are not considered design and construction trades. These goods and services include but are not limited to, couriers, printers, waste management, office and janitorial supplies, janitorial services, food and beverage services, etc.

Definition of Local Vendor
A local vendor is any business located within Cleveland, Ohio with preference given to businesses located within our host and surrounding communities.

Certifying Agencies
This project will recognize and accept certifications from organizations and agencies within the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and State of Ohio.