This report explores food procurement processes in state and private higher educational institutions in Baltimore and identifies a range of strategies to more fully realize local purchasing power. The report recommends actions to support local minority business enterprises and small businesses, modifications to procurement processes, and outlines legislative opportunities to connect state agency and institutional purchasing power to businesses in targeted reinvestment areas. Many of the recommendations are applicable not just to food but other services and commodities as well. 

The University of Colorado Denver’s second phase of an organizational network study of the BIP highlights results from extensive interviews with small business, workforce, and community stakeholders. The research brief includes community perspectives on economic inclusion work as well as a range of recommendations for institutions as well as businesses and public partners to consider as they work to implement new hiring, purchasing and investment strategies.