ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The city of Ann Arbor sent out a survey to 160 businesses bidding on city contracts this year and asked questions about the race and sexual orientation of the owners of the companies. The survey also asked if the business offers diversity and equity training and has made its diversity statements publicly available.

The survey, which the city said was voluntary, was done as a follow up to a 2023 resolution the city council passed to “Ensure Transparency, Non-discrimination, and Equal Opportunity in Municipal Contracting and Procurement Practices.”

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The resolution stated, “Collecting and analyzing the demographic data of prospective vendors who are bidding on and receiving government contracts is essential to understanding the proportion of bids received from women and minority-owned businesses, and whether additional outreach to and support for these businesses is necessary and essential to increase the diversity of bidders.”

But just 21 of the 160 businesses surveyed responded to the 2025 survey. The city reported that just one of the respondents was a black/African American minority ownership. Other categories for minority-owned businesses included LGBTQ+, women, veteran, service-disabled veteran and person with disability.

The city administrator, the Office of Organizational Equity and a DEI analyst prepared the report.