tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50829107448963452872024-02-08T11:10:12.820-08:00Croson Legal Servicescroson legal serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01372588408167174676noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082910744896345287.post-30864042485364782132011-11-27T11:27:00.000-08:002011-11-27T11:27:53.979-08:00Croson Legal Services<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">CROSON LEGAL SERVICES</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">John Sullivan, Esq.</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">jcharlessullivan@yahoo.com</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="Heading1Char"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #365f91; font-family: Cambria;">How Croson Legal Services can help you</span></strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Public procurement contracts usually require preferences for minorities and women as subcontractors. If you or your company is having difficulties with preferences in a public contracting program or if you are struggling to meet DBE or MWBE goals, Croson Legal Services may be of help. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Since the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Croson </i>decision in 1989, the United States Supreme Court has held that the legal standard for determining whether an affirmative action contracting program is justified is strict scrutiny. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">DISPARITY STUDIES</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Governments try to meet strict scrutiny with a disparity study. These studies are often results-driven junk science. I have completed critiques of more than a dozen disparity studies, including studies done by NERA, MGT, BBC, and Mason Tillman Associates. Here are some of the typical problems of disparity studies: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The key to any accurate disparity study is its calculation of availability<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. Croson</i> requires that only those firms which are qualified, willing and able be considered available. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Some studies use Dun & Bradstreet as their availability source; some use Census data; others use lists of firms obtained from non-government sources. None of these satisfy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Croson’</i>s qualified, willing and able standards. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Here are questions to ask about the availability measure used by the disparity study of concern to you. These are some of the issues I would cover in a disparity study critique.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">QUALIFIED-- Does the data source address the qualifications needed to contract with the government? Does the data source consider which firms have the necessary bonding, licenses, equipment and experience?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">WILLING -- What about the willingness of firms – the second <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Croso</i>n availability component – to contract with the government? Most businesses have no interest in government contracting and so should not be counted as available as available for government contracts. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">ABLE -- The third part of the availability requirement set forth in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Croson </i>is a firm’s ability – its capacity – to perform the contracts the government agency awards. Capacity is particularly important in measuring the availability of construction firms. Most construction firms are to small to complete the biggest construction projects. How has the disparity study addressed capacity?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">OTHER DISPARITY STUDY FLAWS – Most studies have lengthy anecdotal sections. Anecdotal accounts of discrimination are seldom persuasive since few if any accounts are investigated for their accuracy. There is almost never verification of anecdotes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Another flaw of disparity studies is that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Croson </i>requires serious consideration be given to race neutral measures before resorting to a race conscious program. Race neutral alternatives are seldom taken seriously by either the disparity study or the DBE or MWBE program. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Finally, how recent is the study’s data? The marketplace is always changing and stale data no longer give an accurate picture of the current market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Disparity study analyses I did on behalf of plaintiffs played a role in successful court challenges to MWBE programs in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Builders Association of Greater Chicago v. Cook</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">County</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Engineering Contractors Association of South Florida v. Metropolitan Dade County. </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Strict scrutiny demands that any jurisdiction with a preferential program in public contracting demonstrate not only compelling interest (described above) but also that the program be narrowly tailored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">NARROW TAILORING</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">There are five facets of narrow tailoring. The two narrow tailoring problems which most often prove fatal to a DBE or MWBE affirmative action program are 1) The inclusion of each MBE group benefitting from the program must be individually justified, separate from other included groups and 2) The percentage MBE or DBE goal must be linked to the percentage of available firms. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In one case I worked on as a litigation consultant, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Contractors Association of</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eastern Pennsylvania v. Philadelphia</i>, the court found that the city had failed to meet either of these requirements. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">USES OF A DISPARITY STUDY REVIEW</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">My review of a disparity study could help you in any number of ways. The critique can be shown to the procurement bureaucracy so they know about the weaknesses of the study or that MWBE or DBE goals are not supportable. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">If my disparity studfy analysis doesn’t solve your problem, the critique can serve as a litigation assessment and blueprint for a court challenge to the constitutionality of a DBE or MWBE program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">DBE AND MWBE PROGRAMS</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Any public agency accepting at least $250,000 of federal transportation money must implement a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked on the most successful challenge to a DBE program, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Western States Paving</i> v<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. Washington State Department of Transportation</i>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Western States</i> the court ruled in the contractor’s favor because there was no disparity study covering the state transportation industry. Also, there was no evidence that the firms certified as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises had actually been discriminated against. Every state DOT in the country uses the Uniform Certification Application, which is the form the Ninth Circuit in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Western States</i> found deficient. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the event of a lawsuit, I have served in any number of roles:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>EXPERT WITNESS -- At present I am expert witness in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Associated General Contractors of America, San Diego Chapter v. California Department of Transportation. </i>Last year<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>I was expert witness in<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Kevcon v. United States. </i>My role was to review the sufficiency of more than 50,000 pages of evidence offered by the federal government to justify the Small Business Administration 8(a) program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>SECOND CHAIR – In 2010 I was second chair in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GEOD v. New Jersey Transit</i>. Like the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">AGC v. Caltrans</i> lawsuit, GEOD attacked a DBE program. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>LEGAL CONSULTANT – Most often I have worked as a legal consultant, aiding the lawyers bringing the suit, as well as the experts. With my years of experience in disparity study litigation and challenges to preference programs, I can save lawyers time and clients money. One case where I served as consultant was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rothe v. Department of Defense</i>. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rothe</i> the appellate court ruled a federal Small Disadvantaged Business preference unconstitutional and struck down an act of Congress. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">COMMERCIALLY USEFUL FUNCTION</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">For the past year or so, the Department of Justice has been aggressively prosecuting Commercially Useful Function cases. In these prosecutions DOJ alleges that prime contractors fraudulently claimed to hire minority subs. Not to excuse fraud, but I think Commercially Useful Function problems sometimes arise when subcontracting goals have been set arbitrarily or too high. If it would be of help as a mitigating defense, I might provide an affidavit explaining the defects of the goal setting process.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">WOMEN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET ASIDE</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My article, “Men Need Not Apply,” about the Obama administration’s imposition of a federal set aside for women appeared in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Times</i>. Even wealthy women can participate in that setaside program, which has never been challenged in court, though it appears extremely vulnerable.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">If you feel I can be of help to you or your client, do not hesitate to email me at </span><a href="mailto:jcharlessulivan@yaho.com"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: blue;">jcharlessulivan@yaho.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">. I look forward to hearing from you.</span></div>croson legal serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01372588408167174676noreply@blogger.com27