Equity-Related
Requirements in Procurement
Insights and Considerations for Effective Practices
The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies BC (ACEC-BC) supports members and partners with resources to build awareness and understanding of topics that influence the business of consulting engineering in BC.
Procurement has long been used as a lever to accelerate adoption and delivery of social policies. Like the qualification of a supplier’s sustainable business practices, which is now commonplace, owners are leveraging procurement to reinforce their commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
To support dialogue, in 2023 we released a Member Bulletin: Equity Reporting in Procurement, supporting members and their clients to identify efficient and effective procurement practices to advance EDI in our organizations and projects. Following on from that earlier work, the 2025 report Opportunities & Impact for Consulting Engineering Firms builds understanding of current practices and opportunities based on consultation with members, clients, and other partners.
Project Summary
This project explores procurement practices that aim to increase EDI, seeks to understand the impact of these practices, and to identify actions that foster effective and transparent procurement approaches to advance EDI. The report considers consulting engineering companies, project teams delivering the work, and the communities that are impacted by and users of the project deliverables.
This project and the guidance shared is intended to foster a collective dialogue around procurement practices that can help advance our industry toward a future where equity and inclusion are integral to both the ways in which we work and in the work we deliver.
The project is comprised of several sections including:
- Preliminary report that introduces the topic and shares wise practices to assess a consulting engineering company’s qualifications and project delivery strategies that can be shared commitments between project partners.
- Final report that explores the topic in more detail, summarizing the results of consultations and the review of resources and reports, exploring effective practices, challenges, impacts, and providing guiding considerations for effective practices.
- Case studies that highlight different procurement requirements and approaches that have included equity requirements, exploring how the consultant met the requirements and the impact of those actions.
Key Observations
Through analysis of the effective practices, challenges, and impacts, three key observations were identified. These were applied to the project approach itself and they should also be applied to continued dialogue and exploration of this topic.
Evolving Practice
Equity requirements in procurement are an evolving/emerging practice in BC, with many of the practices at early stages of use, implementation, and evaluation for impact. Requirements and application are not harmonized, resulting in a range of practices between procuring organizations.
Shared Responsibility
Open dialogue and engagement are necessary to proceed towards shared goals of advancing diversity and equity. The approach should not be left to procuring organizations to determine on their own; dialogue with industry can help to identify effective practices. Transparency on the use and resulting outcomes is essential.
Context
Context is important and must be understood by all participants. The procurement requirements must be relevant to the industry, services, project size, and the market where the work is being performed.
Guiding Principles for Effective Practices
The final report provides four guiding principles for effective practices. These are based on the report findings and analysis, providing consultants, clients, procuring agencies, communities, and other interest holders with shared elements to guide them in their roles within the evolution of equity related procurement practices in consulting engineering in BC. The guiding principles to support procuring organizations to incorporate social equity elements in their procurement practices include:
Clarity
Practices must include clear requirements, evaluation criteria, evaluation process, and weighting within the overall evaluation. Clear evaluation criteria include explanation of responses being assessed quantitatively (i.e., representation) and qualitatively (i.e., policies, programs, strategy).
Alignment
Transparency
Impact Focused
Wise Practices
The preliminary report provided wise practices that move beyond reporting metrics to prioritizing practices that can drive meaningful change. These are actions that support a firm’s qualifications (organizational practices) and actions that can be taken by the project owner and their partners in project delivery (project delivery strategies).Organizational Practices
Values and Equity Statement
Published statements on the organization’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The firm may also be requested to explain how they are measuring success.
Systematic Barriers to Participation
Review of operating practices or investment (e.g., allowance for attendance flexibility, investment in technology to support differing physical abilities) help demonstrate a commitment to including different groups of people.
Pay Equity
Organizational approach to measuring and eliminating pay inequity including transparent reporting aligned with the organization’s governance and size.
Investment in New Practitioners
Programs to hire and train interns or co-op students, participation in accredited credentialing programs to support professional licensing, or support for newcomer practitioners who need local experience to qualify for a professional license.
Community Engagement
Support for team members to participate in their community (professional service, community service, cultural learning); company participation in Associations or advocacy that focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Internal Engagement
Creating space for underrepresented team members and their allies to meet, exchange ideas, and provide advice to the organization.
Project Values and Equity Statement
Integrating principles of EDI in the project charter, public signage at the project site, proponent agreements, and site safety orientation. Project meetings may integrate review of delivery on values and equity similar to a safety review (e.g., incident, near-miss).
Systematic Barriers to Participation
Understand, identify, and remove systemic barriers like subtle forms of discrimination (e.g., safety equipment available in all sizes), access to safe and private spaces (e.g., prayer space, health), and requiring sufficient safe and clean hygiene facilities for all genders.
Investment in New Practitioners
Requiring allocation of project hours for in-training practitioners (e.g., EIT, GIT, Intern Architect, apprentices).
Design Tools and Training
Incorporate design tools (e.g., GBA Plus analysis) that support inclusion and engagement of different perspectives. Engage in shared learning that builds awareness, fosters respect, and supports safe access for people from underrepresented groups.
Community Engagement
Utilizing the project team environment to develop or deliver tools and opportunities that educate, inspire, and mentor the next generation and their educators in the community.
Equity-Responsive Organizations
Through synthesis of various resources, reports, and certification programs, the concept of equity-responsive organizations was identified as a tool to assist organizations in determining how to implement equity requirements in procurement that drive the desired outcomes.
Procurement requirements and assessment should focus on equity-responsive organizations, which goes beyond assessing representation in ownership and within specific teams, instead looking at policies and practices that benefit inclusion and equity within the organization and in the projects that are delivered.
Equity Responsive Organizations demonstrate integration of equity, diversity, and inclusion principles into their policies, practices, and strategy, in alignment with recognized standards and wise practices. The focus is on effective practices and policies that drive changes to systems and structures, rather than a focus on ownership and representation.
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