Kansas City Disparity Study
Kansas City engaged Griffin & Strong (G&S) to perform a comprehensive and legally supportable disparity study that meets the judicial test for constitutional “strict scrutiny” and by other criteria required by applicable law.
Over the course of this Study, there will be several ways the local business community can be involved. G&S will be conducting an informational meeting, a survey of business owners, anecdotal interviews, public hearings, and focus groups. If your firm is contacted to provide input, we thank you for your contribution. Your testimony will play a critical role in improving current programs and/or practices. You may email us any comments or questions at KCMODisparityStudy@gspclaw.com.
Key Metrics
Active Certifications
Total Contract Spend
%
MBE Spend (Goal: 14.7%)
%
WBE Spend (Goal 14.4%)
%
Combined MWBE (Goal: 29.1%)
Numbers are for Fiscal Year ending 4/30/2025 and do not include numbers for the month of April.
ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE COLLECTION
Beginning with our Informational Meeting in April 2025, the Disparity Study’s anecdotal process will involve an informational meeting, anecdotal interviews, a survey of business owners, public hearings, and focus groups.
Local Organizations
G&S seeks feedback from organizations that are engaged with the community. G&S wants to partner with local business, civic, and trade organizations to make sure that the anecdotal evidence, which is critical to the Study and its recommendations, includes as much input from their membership as possible. Organizations may be contacted to provide G&S with an interview. If you desire to meet with G&S to discuss your organization’s perspective or relevant experience(s) working with Kansas City, contact us at KCMODisparityStudy@gspclaw.com.
Anecdotal Interviews
Anecdotal interviews are one-on-one interviews with business owners to discuss their experiences doing business or attempting to do business with Kansas City or navigating business development in the region. This can play a critical role in improving current programs, or possibly adopting new ones. We estimate that anecdotal interviews will begin in March 2025.
If contacted, we encourage your honest and transparent feedback.
Survey of Business Owners
G&S will be conducting a Survey of Business Owners to understand the experiences of firms doing business with Kansas City and in the Kansas City marketplace. All firms in the marketplace are invited to take the survey which we anticipate being sent out in May 2025. If you do not receive a survey directly, it will be posted on the website, and you will be able to access it here.
Email Comments
For those who are not contacted to participate in an interview or focus group, are unavailable, or are generally uncomfortable providing public testimony, you may email us anytime with anecdotal comments or questions at KCMODisparityStudy@gspclaw.com.
EVENTS
Informational Meeting
To learn more about this Study, how to be involved, or to address any questions or concerns, please attend our Informational Meeting in April 2025.
| DATE | TIME | VENUE | REGISTRATION LINK |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 30th, 2025 | 9:00 am – 10:00 am CT | Zoom | View Recording |
Public Hearings
The public hearings are an opportunity for businesses and other community members to go on the record with their comments about doing business with Kansas City, or its marketplace. All comments will become part of the public record and will be included in the Study analysis. The public hearings will be held in May 2025.
Focus Groups
G&S invites a small group of diverse firms to provide their view of doing business with Kansas City, attempting to do business with Kansas City, or explaining why they have not attempted to do business with Kansas City, in a discussion setting. Firms are chosen at random from each ethnicity and gender group of the Study. Focus groups will be held in the August 2025.
Social Media
For information about scheduled events and Study updates, feel free to follow Griffin & Strong on Facebook or LinkedIn. You may also provide commentary regarding the Study via social media, regardless of whether you are selected for a random interview. If you wish to provide a comment regarding your experiences, whether positive or areas of concern, in doing business in or with Kansas City, please reach us on social media.