County Disparity Study Identifies Opportunities to Strengthen Access and Transparency in Procurement

The Prince William County Office of Procurement Services recently completed its 2025 Disparity Study as part of an ongoing effort to evaluate its procurement practices and identify opportunities to improve access, transparency and participation for minority-owned businesses. The study, conducted by MGT, examined whether disparities exist in the county’s contracting process and where improvements could strengthen fairness and competition. 

The study used comprehensive data collection and analysis, along with direct feedback from business owners, to assess contracting outcomes and experiences. The findings showed that while minority-owned businesses reported facing obstacles in the private sector, they did not encounter resistance from the county or county staff. Instead, the challenges came from primary contractors doing business with the county.  

Some of the smaller minority-owned firms reported that, as subcontractors, they were sometimes included to meet expectations without receiving a meaningful share of the work.  

“Previously, we were not tracking our contract spend amongst different business classifications or drilling down to analyze subcontractor activities,” said Shana Terry, director of the Office of Procurement Services. “Improving our data collection will allow us to analyze the effectiveness of our procurement program.” 

According to the study, other obstacles included limited feedback or communication on bids, challenges in navigating procedures and requirements, and difficulty accessing informal industry networks that often rely on established relationships. Financial barriers, such as the inability to access capital and meeting insurance and bonding requirements, were also cited as factors that limited minority-owned businesses’ ability to compete for larger contracts. 

The Office of Procurement Services intends to improve opportunities for minority-owned businesses by continuing to develop targeted outreach to help businesses understand and navigate the procurement process, Terry said.    

“Implementing a vendor onboarding process to ensure vendors know where to start and how to access our vendor resources will hopefully address some of the issues,” Terry said. “We frequently attend various business engagement events to provide information on doing business with the county. The Office of Procurement Services will also begin hosting vendor trainings and workshops on various topics of interest to firms that are interested in doing business with the county.”  

Over the past two years, the procurement office has participated in more than 30 vendor outreach events to connect with businesses and share information about county contracting opportunities.  

The county plans to use the Disparity Study recommendations to develop a Strategic Supplier Diversity Program, to include:  

• Improving procurement data collection to enhance and improve internal and external county reporting with the data used to establish future goals and initiatives  
• Establish a business inclusion program to promote and support the growth of women, minority and service-disabled veteran businesses  
• Establish a program sunset clause of seven years after establishing the programs with reevaluation in five years to determine if there is strong evidence of ongoing discrimination  
• Adopt annual aspirational goals for contracting across all industry categories 
• Establish a business inclusion office to identify minority, women, veteran and other underrepresented businesses 
• Promoting Procurement Transparency and Inclusion to publicize a procurement forecast covering six to 12 months 

Additionally, the office will launch a business opportunity newsletter to share updates on active and upcoming contracting opportunities and vendor resources.  

The office will also host its third annual Procurement Expo on Wednesday, March 4, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center for vendors looking to learn more about county contracting procedures. More than 200 vendors attended the 2025 Procurement Expo. 

The study’s recommendations align with the county’s strategic plan goals of providing transparent, exceptional and accessible services to residents and businesses, as well as advancing strategic, community-oriented growth that strengthens the diversity and sustainability of the county’s economy. 

“This study gives us a clearer picture of how our procurement process is working and where it can work better,” said County Executive Chris Shorter. “Our responsibility is to use that insight to remove barriers, improve transparency and make sure businesses that want to work with the county understand how to compete and succeed. That’s how we strengthen both our procurement process and our local economy.” 

For more information about the Office of Procurement Services, visit pwcva.gov/procurement-services.