The City of Winnipeg will shift its social procurement pilot approach in 2025, and does not plan to ask the construction sector to track and record the number of percentage hours worked by employees who identify as from equity groups.
The City’s next steps were discussed at a recent meeting of the Social Procurement Advisory Table, in which MHCA is a member.
The November 28 meeting reviewed the City’s report on outcomes from 2024 pilot projects, which included a requirement that contractors set a target of hours (percentage) to be worked by individuals who self-identify from a list of “equity” groups, including Indigenous, racialized, women, people of colour and LGBTQQ2S+.
MHCA has sought a change in the City’s approach to social procurement, to focus on efforts by companies regarding their corporate recruitment and employment strategies and the overall makeup of employee complement.
The pilots to date have asked for data to be collected at a project level, specifically tracking the hours worked by diverse employees and submitting reports as a percentage hours, against the project’s total employment hours.
“The logistics of collecting that data — complicated because many employees choose not to declare their identity – proved difficult and we saw that in the results,” MHCA President & CEO Chris Lorenc said.
“We are happy, and grateful to the City administration, to see there is a reconsideration of that approach.”
Pilots in 2025 will focus on using its annual procurement to pilot other social value menu clauses.
