CITY EQUAL BENEFIT REQUIREMENTS EXPANSION TO INCLUDE CONTRACT AMENDMENTS AND REVENUE GENERATING CONTRACTS

Binding City Policy

BCP-ADM-1.15

PURPOSE

WHEREAS, in April 2006 the City Council approved Ordinance No. 180077 requiring contractors on City contracts to provide equivalent employee benefits between their employees with domestic partners and their employees with spouses; and

WHEREAS, it is the City's intent, through the contracting practices outlined herein, to ensure that in the spending of public money that such money is spent in a way that equalizes, to the extent possible, compensation between similarly situated employees with spouses and employees with domestic partners; and

WHEREAS, the Bureau of Purchases adopted administrative rules that applied these requirements to contracts exceeding the formal solicitation threshold for goods and services, construction or professional, technical or expert services awarded on or after January 1, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 180077 required the Bureau of Purchases to present a status report on the implementation of the policy to include options for expanding the provisions to cover additional City contracts not covered under this ordinance; and

WHEREAS, a diverse stakeholder group was convened to review the status of the program, explore options for expanding the requirements and make recommendations; and

POLICY 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby directs the Purchasing Agent to expand the Equal Benefit requirements to include the following:

• Contract amendments that exceed 12 months and independently trigger the formal thresholds for each type of service.
• Revenue generating contracts exceeding $150,000 to coincide with the formal threshold for goods and services contracts.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Purchasing Agent will develop a marketing/outreach flyer to send out to small construction subcontractors informing them that there is no or low cost to extend health benefits to employees with domestic partners. This assumes they already provide employees health benefits and they extend those benefits to employees with spouses.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,  that this resolution is binding city policy.

HISTORY

Resolution No. 36584, adopted by City Council March 5, 2008.