Request for proposals sought to develop, implement racial equity training for City employees

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the City of Boston has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consulting services to develop and implement a racial equity training for employees of the City of Boston. This RFP follows an Executive Order Relative to Racial Equity and Leadership, which requires all city departments to engage in a training program and collect data to evaluate how racial equity is being advanced across departments. All proposals must be submitted by March 5, 2020, at 12 p.m. 

"Local government has the responsibility to do everything in our power to address racial and ethnic disparities," said Mayor Walsh. "To create citywide resilience, Boston must institutionalize racial equity in our workplaces and practices, including within our own city government."

First announced in the Mayor's 2019 State of the City, this effort strengthens the City's commitment to advance racial equity, prioritize social justice and strengthen social cohesion across all city agencies. The selected provider will work with the Mayor's Office of Resilience and Racial Equity, the Diversity Office and the Office of Human Resources to develop a training curriculum tailored to the City of Boston, devise a plan to bring the training to all City employees, deliver the training across the City and establish a sustainable model for ongoing delivery into the future. 

In 2017, Mayor Walsh released Boston's first citywide Resilience Strategy, focused on ensuring every resident can reach their full potential regardless of their background, and removing the barriers of systemic racism that hinder Bostonians from having access to opportunities. The strategy was developed as part of the Boston's partnership with 100 Resilient Cities (100RC). Boston was named part of the 100RC Network in December 2014. As a member of the 100RC Network, Boston has received tools, technical expertise, funding and other resources to build resilience to the challenges of the 21st century.

The RFP was released on Monday, February 10 and proposals are due by March 5, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. Copies of the Request for Proposals may be obtained from the City's procurement website and Supplier Portal under Event ID EV00007680. 

The Mayor's Office of Resilience and Racial Equity leads efforts to help Boston plan for and deal with catastrophes and slow-moving disasters - like persistent racial and economic inequality - that have become part of 21st century life. For more information, please visit the Resilience and Racial Equity website.