Task Force Members

Report Resolutions

Congregational Audit

REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON MINORITY VENDORS The Task Force on Minority Vendors operated out of the understanding that we are stewards of God's abundant creation and Christ's model of inclusiveness. In a diocese noted for its commitment to diversity, our committee was representative and held as a goal seeking ways to encourage the full participation of all people in all aspects of the life of the church. In many areas of our lives, we are becoming more informed and conscientious consumers – reading labels at the supermarket to identify the ingredients and labels at clothing stores to find out where they were made, studying and choosing socially responsible financial investments. More and more often, we are obliged to become informed and intentional about areas of our lives that, until recently, we have taken for granted -- like choosing our utility servers for the home. In this diocese, we have made a commitment to working to dismantle racism and take pride in our leadership role in the larger church in establishing and supporting the Oasis. The members of the Task Force on Minority Vendors believe strongly that we need to bring this same intentional consciousness and conscientiousness to the business side of the life of our diocesan community. Our work focused in two areas: a survey that examined the current stewardship of our vendor choices and discussion of what our representative committee understood might be the barriers to inclusive vendor decisions. Congregational Audit We developed a congregational audit to examine the patterns and habits of our congregations as they gather bids and estimates to determine whether or not opportunities are being offered to minority vendors to participate in the process. The results of the survey are attached. Thank you all for your responses. We were delighted that so many of you took the time to help us in our work. The purpose of the congregational audit was to gather data to inform us of our current status as regards vendors and particularly minority vendor participation. The Task Force sought this information with the knowledge that the Diocese of Newark has an abundance of opportunities available through the many contracts and services that are used by the diocese and the more than 120 congregations that comprise the it. For example, we recognize that the term "vendor" encompasses a wide variety of suppliers of services, materials/products, equipment and maintenance, repairs, parts and labor. Congregations routinely use vendors for such items as custodial supplies, stationery, paper goods, foodstuffs, flowers, and building maintenance contracts, small and major furnishings and for capital expenditures. In the survey, we specified minority vendors as people of Color, different physical abilities, non-heterosexual orientation and women. In our definition, people of Color includes people of African, Asian, Indigenous and Latino descent. Clearly from the results of the survey, it is not yet the regular practice to incorporate minority vendors into the bidding and selection process or into the thinking process that guides our pool of choices. It is also clear that there needs to be a heightened awareness that the resources do exist within our diocese and could be available if the names were more widely disseminated. Barriers However, the survey also points to influences that underlie our decision-making regarding choosing vendors. For instance, in looking at the factors that inhibit the use minority vendors, 69% of the responses indicated that they do not use race or sexual orientation as any part of the criteria; 69% also responded that they do not distinguish as to race, physical ability, gender or sexual orientation in their selection process. Our committee questioned such a large percentage of results implying that we are a "colorblind" society, when minorities daily (and often several times daily) experience responses, reactions and behavior that clearly indicate that their gender, sexuality, name and ethnic origin, race and accent have, in fact, been noted, and in some way, acted upon. This speaks to the prejudicial assumptions, positive and negative, that are embedded in our society when it comes to making decisions that affect our spending. We rely on vendors that are local, familiar and comfortable, from whom we are confident we will receive quality, simply because we "know" them. The other side of this is that in a diverse society, where the people we "know" tend to be like us as a function of institutional bias, again negative or positive, we deny that we notice differences and unconsciously exclude those who are in some way different. Traditional networking is a long-established mechanism for exclusion. In operating unconsciously in the patterns that are familiar to us, we deny ourselves the benefit of what the person who is different may offer given the opportunity. This practice continues to deny opportunity to those who are outside the familiar, habitual sphere even when they may be in our own backyard. It requires vigilance and intention to overcome habits and patterns of years and entire communities to open ourselves to new choices, new neighbors, new ideas and new gifts. The results of the survey made it clear to the Task Force on Minority Vendors that lack of knowledge of and accessibility to good vendors is an obstacle in identifying and engaging vendors of comparable quality, minority or otherwise. A key to increasing accessibility is a list of vendors that would include at least 20% minority vendors, which would offer a wide variety of services and products and would be available in some centralized manner from the diocese to the congregations (and individuals) of the diocese. The Task Force on Minority Vendors recommends that the committee be mandated for an additional year for the purpose of continuing to raise awareness on the use of minority vendors, developing a list of vendors and a system that will make it accessible to congregations and surveying the churches of the diocese again in a year to ascertain whether or not minority vendor usage has increased. We believe the choice to conscientiously include minority vendors is an act of justice. The same criteria of quality, price, expertise, experience and recommendation should apply to all equally. Invitation to the table should also be offered to all equally and willingly. In so doing, we widen the parameters of our community as we recognize others as our neighbors and honor the gifts they bring. In sharing resources and opportunities and raising up the dignity of all God's people, we live out our baptismal covenant in a more substantial and profound way. Resolutions as Policy Resolutions passed by the Convention of the Diocese become policy for our life together and policy is a statement of who and what we are, what we value and what we hold dear. Policy tells us and the world what informs and guides us defines our levels of consciousness and conscientiousness. It speaks to who we are as a community and whose we are. Policy decisions that identify us as intentionally and faithfully inclusive, help us to live as active stewards God's abundance in the practice of Christ's model.

The Members of the Task Force on Minority Vendors Dr. Louie Crew Ms. Kathy Ganim The Rev. Rosemarie Hassan Mr. Bert Jones The Rev. William Potter The Rev. John Rollins Ms. Laura Russell Mr. Stephen Shaw Ms. Lyn Headley-Moore, The Rev. Robert Schiesler Co-chairs go to top of page

Summary of Responses to the Congregational Audit on Vendors 1. Twenty-one percent (26) of the congregations in the diocese responded regarding their experience during 1997 and 1998. Each had used an average of 15 vendors during that period. Seventy-seven percent reported that they had major capital expenses during that period, and that they used an average of 2.65 vendors for those projects. 2. Use of minority vendors a. 19% used 0 minority vendors b. 27% did not know how many of their vendors were minority vendors 46% a. 15% used 1 minority vendor b. 12% used 2 minority vendors c. 4% used 3 minority vendors d. 4% used 4 minority vendors e. 12% used 5 minority vendors f. 4% used 6minority vendors g. 4% used 7 minority vendors 54% used minority vendors 1. Ninety-two percent said that they would find it helpful if there were a directory of vendors recommended by others in the diocese, but only eight percent offered the names of vendors that they have found good. 2. 54% who used minority vendors, minority vendors averages 37% of all vendors they reported using. They estimated that they spent an average of 38% of their vendor dollars on minority vendors. 3. Capital expenses: a. Only 15 percent of the congregations reported major capital expenses of $50,000 or more during this period and only a quarter of those indicated using a minority vendor for the major capital project. b. Sixty-nine percent of the congregations reported major capital expenses of less than $50,000, and a quarter of those indicated using minority vendors for those major capital projects. 1. Congregations indicated that the following factors may have inhibited their use of minority vendor, in descending order of influence: 2. a. 69% Don't distinguish vendors as to race b. 9% Don't distinguish vendors as to sexual orientation c. 65% Don't distinguish vendors as to physical ability d. 65% Don't distinguish vendors as to gender e. 50% Not a part of our criteria f. 23% The Resources are available within the congregation g. 19% Don't know any h. 19% Never thought of it i. 19% Rarely seek new vendors j. 12% There are none locally k. 04% Complicates the procedure l. 0% Not confident of quality m. 0% Rarely seek competitive bids 1. Of all vendors used, seventy-eight percent were local. 2. Those reporting major capital expenses of $50,000 or more spent an average of 74% on local vendors. 3. Congregations reporting compared prices or obtained estimated on services or produces that they contracted or purchased in the amounts of a. 42% Up to $500 per year: b. 62% $500 - $3,000 per year: c. 50% $3,000 - $10,000 d. 50% $10,000 - $40,000 e. 23% Over $50,000 1. Congregations used their own terms to indicate their primary criteria in deciding to use a particular vendor, excluding price. Minority status showed up much less frequently than the other popular criteria: a. 62% quality b. 38% reputation c. 35% our experience with d. 31% local e. 31% recommendations f. 19% availability g. 15% reliability h. 12% minority i. 8% warranty 1. Several other criteria showed up with less frequency, including, a. `estimates of specs that meet our criteria,' b. `response,' `schedule,' c. `service,' `stability (follow-up ability),' and d. `trust.' 13 When they sought multiple estimates or bids of a new vendor, congregations looked to and asked for, in their own terms: a. 73% parishioners b. 46% professionals c. 42% yellow pages d. 35% other churches e. 23% listings f. 19% friends and colleagues g. 19% diocese h. 12% advertising 13 Those who used vendors who were not local gave as their major reasons, in descending order of frequency in their responses: a. 19% availability b. 12% quality and expertise c. 12% recommendation or reputation d. 12% special work e. 8% expediency f. 8% experience g. 8% price go to top of page

RESOLUTION ON MINORITY VENDORS Resolved, as stewards of God's abundant creation and Christ's model of intentional inclusiveness, the administration, program groups, committees, commissions and other entities of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark hold as a goal that 20% of all bids received, contracts awarded and services rendered will be from minority vendors; Resolved, that the Diocese of Newark will maintain and make available a listing of vendors assembled through recommendations received from congregations and other sources including but not limited to the State of New Jersey, municipalities, counties and educational institutions which is comprised of a minimum 20% of minority vendors; and Resolved, that congregations, living out this model of stewardship and inclusiveness locally, will embrace the same goal of 20% by intentionally seeking bids from and engaging minority vendors for contracts and services. SUPPORTING INFORMATION The term minority as used in this resolution includes people of Color, different physical abilities, non-heterosexual orientation and women. The term vendors as used in this resolution encompasses the complete scope of suppliers and contractors of services, materials, products, equipment and maintenance, bids, repairs (parts and labor), renovations and restorations. The selection and engagement of any and all vendors is always to be based on equal criteria in competing bids and an expectation of a high standard of quality for all work and services. The goal of 20% refers to the number of vendors engaged. This resolution's intent is to increase opportunity for minority vendors toward a more balanced rota of service and materials suppliers, to increase our substantive interactions with people who may be different from us and to become more just in our financial and professional interactions. RESOLUTION ON THE CONTINUATION OF THE TASK FORCE ON MINORITY VENDORS Resolved, that the Task Force on Minority Vendors be extended for an additional year for the purposes of making available a vendor list and surveying the use of minority vendors in the year 2000. SUPPORTING INFORMATION The Task Force on Minority Vendors hopes, by setting in place a list of vendors of which 20% will be minorities, to effectuate an awareness of inclusive minority vendor use which we hope will become policy and practice of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. It is with this in mind that we request an extension of the Task Force's mandate for an additional year: 1. to get the list operative and accessible to the diocese and its congregations, 2. to conduct a survey, once the list is in place, to determine the effect of such a list and 3. to report, in writing, the results of the survey and a count of the frequency of access of the list to the 127th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. go to top of page

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