E&E Enterprises Global, Inc., a minority-owned government contractor, has filed suit against the Virginia Department of Education for discrimination in the agency’s solicitation for services under Gov. Mark R. Warner’s “Education For A Lifetime” initiative. The suit alleges that the agency discriminated against E&E by requiring the firm to fulfill requirements that not required of the non-minority bidder, and disqualified E&E once it was apparent that E&E was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.
A 2003 disparity study commissioned by the Commonwealth reported that the Commonwealth awarded only $34.4 million out of nearly $8 billion on minority-owned businesses from July 1, 1998 through June 30, 2002 — less than 0.44% of its total spending. Statistics for the Virginia Department of Education for this same period show that the agency awarded over $75 million in contracts to non-minority-owned businesses compared to awarding only $17,000 in contracts to minority-owned businesses. Read the press release.
Any comment, Will?