Opinion ID: 163083
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Bidding

Text: 117 In his report, CWC's expert, LaNoue, contends that the M/WBE availability data used in Denver's disparity studies is unreliable because it is not a measure of only those firms actually bidding on City construction projects. LaNoue asserts that, All other measures than bidding are merely proxies for availability.... [U]nless a firm makes a bid, it is not actually available for public contracting. LaNoue's position appears to constitute an implicit conclusion that only studies which equate M/WBE availability with actual bids on a contract-by-contract basis can be used to support Denver's burden. To calculate availability at the level of certainty urged by CWC, Denver would be compelled to survey each MBE, WBE, and majority firm each time bids are sought for a construction project to determine which firms actually bid on the project, either as a prime contractor or as a subcontractor. While this approach may provide an accurate count of available firms, it says nothing about whether those firms are qualified. If availability is calculated on an individual basis using LaNoue's approach, it is possible that unqualified firms would be included in the availability figure simply because they bid on a particular project. Conversely, qualified firms would not be included if, for any reason, they chose not to bid on the project. Thus, LaNoue's approach itself illustrates why disparity studies must make assumptions about availability as long as the same assumptions can be made for all firms. 16 118 CWC does not identify any evidence showing that M/WBEs bid on City projects at a different rate than non-M/WBE firms. Thus, it has not demonstrated that differences in bidding practices may explain the disparities found in Denver's studies. Additionally, we do not read Croson to require disparity studies that measure whether construction firms are able to perform a particular contract. The studies must only determine whether the firms are capable of undertak[ing] prime or subcontracting work in public construction projects. Croson, 488 U.S. at 502, 109 S.Ct. 706.