Business Diversity Committee Work Plan

The Committee will work with other ACI-NA Committees to promote inclusion and diversity in their mission with a focus on the Commercial Management, Finance, Legal Affairs and Operations, Planning, Safety, Infrastructure & Development Committees, to increase minority/small business contracting in concessions, finance, architectural, engineering, technology and construction projects at airports.  The Committee will also work with the Human Resources Committee to support their efforts for a more diverse workforce

The Committee will form a Working Group to lead ACI-NA’s work to respond to the Part 23 and Part 26 Notices of Proposed Rulemaking expected to be issued in early 2022.  The work will be done in collaboration with the Commercial Management, Legal Affairs, Finance and Operations, Planning, Safety, Infrastructure & Development Committees.  The Committee leadership will also work with ACI-NA senior staff to present the proposed comments to the U.S. Policy Council for approval prior to submission to FAA and DOT.

The Committee will establish a Working Group to develop programming on business diversity topics of interest to airport and WBPs/Associates for the Business of Airports Conference. Topics under consideration include “Joint Ventures”, “Regulations vs. Real Life – Practical Solutions for Airport Challenges”, “ACDBE Opportunities: Can The Door For New Companies Be Opened Wider”, “Required Contract/Agreement and Solicitation Language” and “How Are We Measuring Diversity And Inclusion?”

Federal laws and regulations require that an airport that receives “federal assistance” include specific clauses in contracts and solicitations, regardless of whether the project is federally funded.  In some cases, the language must be included verbatim while in others FAA has provided suggested language that may not work well for concession agreements or solicitations. The Committee will establish a Working Group to develop a reference guide to provide additional information to assist airports and World Business Partners/Associates. The project will be coordinated with the Legal Affairs Committee.

Many airports have programs to encourage contracts with local small businesses, as well as women, people of color, veterans and disabled entrepreneurs in their communities. Some airports are considering updating their programs to include gender inclusive language as well as programs to encourage/require supplier diversity in non-federal contracts. The Committee will gather and distribute information on these issues to assist ACI-NA member airports as they consider updating their existing programs.

The Committee will promote the Leon C. Watkins Guardian Award” and Inclusion Champions Awards to encourage additional nominations.  The Awards will be presented at the Awards Gala Dinner on June 8, at the 2022 ACI-NA Business of Airports Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Committee continues to work with FAA, DOT and other organizations to provide pertinent webinars and/or training sessions for airport and WBPs/Associates. Possible topics include cost-effective bonding and technical assistance programs, monitoring (including “Commercially Useful Function” reviews for both ACDBEs and DBEs), and support services (including mentor-protégé program logistics, as well as ACDBE and DBE financial assistance).

The Committee will continue to work with FAA, DOT and other government/regulatory agencies on policies and regulatory issues affecting inclusion and diversity in all areas of airport operations.   In addition, the Committee will continue to work with AMAC and other similar organizations on issues of common interest and agreement.

The Committee leadership and Committee Secretary will work in close cooperation with the ACI-NA Board Liaison, to ensure that the ACI-NA Board understands and appreciates the work of the Committee.

The Business Diversity Committee will meet on Monday, June 6, 2022 during The Business of Airports Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.  Additionally, the Committee will meet at the ACI-NA Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sunday, September 18, 2022.