The City of Chicago commits to conduct its delegate agency contracting in a manner which more effectively reaches historically underrepresented organizations doing impactful work, strengthens organizations indigenous to and led by individuals representing the communities they serve, and increases the resources available in high-need communities.

In 2020, Mayor Lightfoot tasked City leaders with assessing how City contracting dollars were being used to provide high-quality health and human services while also supporting the growth of local organizations and historically disinvested neighborhoods. The Office of Budget and Management, Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), Department of Housing (DOH), Department of Planning and Development (DPD), and the Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities (MOPD) all conducted analyses on existing delegate agency contracts. Next, the Mayor’s Office conducted a review of the contracting process and engaged more than 150 community stakeholders for their feedback on that process, resulting in the 5-point Framework for Equitable Social Services Contracting released in February 2022.

After further refinement and development with departments, the Mayor’s Office released the Strategic Plan for Equity in Contracting Health and Human Services, articulating a set of 7 goals and accompanying strategies to create equitable processes and outcomes in the City’s contracting of delegate agency providers.