Description
King County has developed a menu of Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) strategies that can be integrated in capital projects to support the County’s fair and just principle established in King County Code (K.C.C.) Chapter 2.10. In 2021, King County Executive Order CON-7-28-EO directed the County to remove barriers, implement innovative contracting methods, and other actions to make it easier for Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) to contract with King County. In alignment with the King County ESJ Strategic Plan, the GBO was updated in 2022 requiring that the ESJ credits in the King County Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard be applicable to all capital projects, regardless of which green building rating system is used.
King County will continue to provide resources and trainings to Project Managers to support outreach to MWBEs and update project management manuals to include ESJ guidance in capital projects. King County Green Building team will lead an effort to improve ESJ efforts in King County CIPs. In particular, all projects shall prioritize development and implementation of an ESJ Project plan (ESJ credit 5) and advance economic justice (ESJ credit 6).