Sound Transit Disparity Study

Help us evaluate the agency's efforts to encourage the participation of diverse businesses in contracts and procurements.

This year, Sound Transit is conducting a disparity study to assess whether person-of-color-, woman-, veteran-, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer+ (LGBTQ+)-owned businesses (collectively known as diverse businesses) face any barriers as part of Sound Transit's contracting processes.

The study will examine any disparities between the percentage of contract and procurement dollars Sound Transit spent with diverse businesses from 2020-2024, and the percentage of contract dollars one might expect Sound Transit to award to diverse businesses based on their availability to perform specific types and sizes of Sound Transit contracts and procurements.

The results will help Sound Transit evaluate and refine its efforts to encourage participation of diverse businesses in its contracts and procurements, as well as inform any refinement to its implementation of the Federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.

Frequently asked questions

A disparity study examines whether there are differences between:

  • The percentage of contract and procurement dollars an organization awards to different groups of diverse businesses during a particular time period; (i.e., utilization, or participation); and
  • The percentage of dollars one would expect the organization to award to diverse businesses based on their availability to perform work on the organization’s contracts and procurements (i.e., availability)

The comparison between the participation and availability of disadvantaged businesses in an organization’s work is referred to as a disparity analysis. In addition to measuring utilization, availability, and any disparities, disparity studies typically examine other information about:

  • Legal considerations surrounding the implementation of contracting inclusion programs.
  • Conditions in the local marketplace for individuals and business groups of interest (in the case of the Sound Transit Disparity Study, person of color (POC)-, woman-, veteran-, and LGBTQ+-owned businesses).
  • Contracting practices and contracting inclusion programs the organization has in place.
  • Potential program measures for consideration as part of the organization’s implementation of contracting inclusion programs.

Share your experiences in the local marketplace or with Sound Transit by emailing the project team: SoundTransitDisparity@bbcresearch.com.

Join us for a public meeting where you can learn more about the disparity study process, ask questions, and share insights about your experiences working in the marketplace.

If you represent a business, BBC and Davis Research may contact you to participate in a survey to collect information about your business' characteristics or to participate in an in-depth interview to share your insights about working in the region and with Sound Transit.

The disparity study will examine prime contracts and subcontracts Sound Transit awarded between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2024. The study will examine contracts and procurements for construction, architecture and engineering, professional services, goods and non-professional services, and transit services.

Data on business characteristics — including if a business is POC-, woman-, veteran-, or LGBTQ+-owned — are key pieces of information to help Sound Transit understand if disparities exist for different businesses and business owners in the marketplace and in the agency’s contracting. To collect information on the characteristics of businesses that have performed work for Sound Transit and businesses potentially available for that work, BBC Research & Consulting (BBC) will rely on:

  • Sound Transit contract and vendor data.
  • Certification lists from the Washington State Office of Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises and other certifying groups, including groups that certify veteran- and LGBTQ+-owned businesses.
  • United States Small Business Administration certification and ownership lists.
  • Dun & Bradstreet business listings and other business information sources.
  • Business surveys we will conduct as part of key study analyses.
  • Business websites.

The following four companies are conducting this disparity study in a way that meets the highest industry research and legal standards: BBC Research & Consulting (BBC), Dynamic and Innovative Research Solutions (DIRS), Davis Research, and Rosales Law Partners.

Information from the disparity study will help inform Sound Transit’s implementation of the Federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program and other contracting inclusion efforts. Among other information, the disparity study will provide analyses related to:

  • Whether POC-, woman-, veteran-, or LGBTQ+-owned businesses show substantial disparities between their participation in and availability for Sound Transit contracts and procurements.
  • Whether disparity analysis results indicate support for Sound Transit’s continued use of race- and gender-based participation goals in awarding United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)-funded projects.
  • Setting Sound Transit’s next overall DBE goal for the participation of POC- and woman-owned businesses in the USDOT-funded projects it awards.

Refinements Sound Transit could make to its contracting policies and program measures to better encourage the participation of POC-, woman-, veteran-, and LGBTQ+-owned businesses in USDOT-funded and locally funded projects. 

Yes, the results of the disparity study will be made public at the end of the process. The study is anticipated to be completed in December 2025.