Auditors find racial disparities in King County contracts

Auditors have identified significant racial and gender disparities in the way King County awards contracts to private firms.

King County disproportionately contracted with white-owned small businesses while under-contracting with Black-owned and Latinx/Hispanic-owned small businesses.

After state law banned race-based preferential treatment in contracting in 1998, the county started its Small Contractor and Supplier program, a race-neutral initiative focused on small businesses.

As of August 2020, there are more than 1,800 firms that meet the qualifications of a small contractor or supplier. The qualifications are that the owner’s net worth must not exceed $1.32 million and that the business income and staff size must not exceed 50% of federal

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