Mission Statement

The Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES) strives to deliver exemplary customer service to residents, businesses and staff as we endeavor to support and promote a robust and diverse economic infrastructure for the City of Oakland.

Learn more about who we are and what we do here.

SERVICE IMPACTS &

EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

Enhancements

Trustworthy and Responsible Government

1. Adds 1.0 FTE Administrative Analyst I to provide support to the Certification Unit to increase capacity to shorten the processing time for local and small local business certifications and allow for greater efficiencies in increasing the availability of local and small local businesses in the certification database.
   • Equity Consideration: The Certification Unit provides the vehicle through which local and small local businesses can be identified and included in the City’s procurement process. The Local and Small Local Business Enterprise Program serves to advance equity in City procurement by providing greater opportunities for small local minority and women owned businesses to gain a share of City procurement contracts.
2. Adds $250,000 in O&M to fund a disparities study in Oakland's contracting process for small businesses that have BIPOC and/or women owners. This study will evaluate the barriers that these businesses face in complying with the City's contracting policies and present recommendations for how to improve outcomes for these businesses that align with racial equity objectives.
   • Equity Consideration: Small businesses with BIPOC and/or women owners are a vital part of the local economy, however, they may not have the resources available to successfully navigate the City's contracting process to win and implement contracts. The DWES functions to monitor and enforce policies and programs to ensure equity in City procurement and employment for Oakland residents, particularly BIPOC in underserved and unserved communities. This study will support the DWES to address the barriers they face to support the City's objective to award more contracts to BIPOC and women-owned small local businesses.
3. Adds $60,000 in O&M to purchase computer workstations to replace outdated and malfunctioning equipment and provide workstations for new staff. This is essential to powering the software upgrades being implemented and allow staff to more efficiently utilize resources.
   • Equity Consideration: The Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES) functions to monitor and enforce policies and programs to ensure equity in City procurement and employment for Oakland residents, particularly BIPOC in underserved and unserved communities. Equipment to run software and capacity to report on goals and objectives is essential to our success.
4. Adds $20,500 in O&M for software subscriptions to enhance data collection methodologies for programmatic tracking, monitoring, and reporting requirements.
   • Equity Consideration: The DWES functions to monitor and enforce policies and programs to ensure equity in City procurement and employment for Oakland residents, particularly BIPOC in underserved and unserved communities. Software that increases the capacity to report on goals and objectives is essential to our success.
5. Adds $50,000 in O&M to create, develop, and implement a strategy for outreach to local, small local, and very small local businesses to inform them of the mechanics to successfully do business with the City of Oakland. The strategy will incorporate and include workshops, audio visual aids that can be uploaded to our website for viewing on an as needed basis, development of hard copy manuals, and development of promotional materials to use at community events to inform the public of assistance available through DWES.
   • Equity Consideration: The DWES functions to monitor and enforce policies and programs to ensure equity in City procurement and employment for Oakland residents, particularly BIPOC in underserved and unserved communities.
6. Transfers 3.0 FTE Administrative Analyst II in the Contacts Unit from the Department of Workforce and Employment Standards to the Finance Department in order to facilitate greater efficiencies in the contract and grant service procurement process.
   • Equity Consideration: Timelier and more efficient contracting and procurement will improve service delivery for Oakland residents and may speed payment to City vendors and non-profit partners including minority and women owned businesses and non-profits serving BIPOC communities.

SIGNIFICANT BUDGETARY CHANGES

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

POSITION INFORMATION