BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee surpassed its goals for participation by minority and women-owned businesses on its $299 million headquarters, officials said today.
The company also met its goal for local businesses, officials said.
“BlueCross has always worked closely with minority-owned and small businesses to ensure that our suppliers reflect our company's overall diversity goals,” said Dan Jacobson, vice president of properties for BlueCross.
The Chattanooga-based insurer had a 26 percent minority and women-owned business participation rate, according to the company. Its rate of local and regional contractors was 63 percent, BlueCross said. The company’s original goals were 25 percent for minority participation and 50 percent for local contractors.
BlueCross said the levels are among the highest ever for a large-scale, private commerical construction project in the city.
Bob Worthington, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for BlueCross, said the diversity goals were self-directed and not part of any government requirements.
See tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press for complete coverage.
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Why do race, ethnicity, and sex need to be considered at all in deciding who gets awarded a contract? It's fine to make sure contracting programs are open to all, that bidding opportunities are widely publicized beforehand, and that no one gets discriminated against because of skin color, national origin, or sex. But that means no preferences because of skin color, etc. either--whether it's labeled a "set-aside," a "quota," or a "goal," since they all end up amounting to the same thing. Such discrimination is unfair and divisive; it costs the taxpayers money to award a contract to someone other than the lowest bidder; and it's generally illegal to boot (see 42 USC section 1981 and comments we submitted to the Colorado DOT here: http://www.ceousa.org/content/view/655/8... ).