August 31, 2026
National Black Business Month is observed annually in August to recognize the many Black businesses that make a considerable impact on the US economy and communities around the country. Despite centuries of systemic separation from economic opportunities, Black business owners continue to strive and thrive in attaining economic empowerment. This Black Business Month, we want to celebrate a successful year of contracting with Black businesses, as well as the path forward!
2025 marked our most successful year yet in diverse contracting where we saw the Port boast record highs of 15.3% ($151M) in contract spend going to WMBE firms, and 400 WMBE firms with whom the Port contracted! This also marked a year where we saw record highs in contracting with Black or African American firms:
- 46 Black firms were utilized, surpassing our previous record of 41 firms in 2023
- $30M in contract expenditure went to Black firms, surpassing our previous Black contract expenditure record of $18.5M in 2024
The $30M spend with Black or African American firms represents 20% of the total WMBE dollars spent, ranking third amongst all ethnicity categories. The 46 Black firms contracted with the Port represents 12% of the total WMBE firms participating with the Port, also ranking third amongst all ethnicity categories. One of the biggest drivers for the increased participation in Port contracts came from $18.6M spent in the purchasing category. As in the past three years, Black or African American firms received the most purchasing or goods and services contract spend, accounting for 62% of the spend that went to Black firms and 63% of the WMBE dollars spent in purchasing among all ethnicities.
Despite having many reasons to celebrate an incredible year of contracting with Black businesses, there continues to be room for stronger partnership with Black businesses at the Port, particularly in the public works arena.
In 2025, roughly 62% of the Port’s overall contract spend was on construction, ($611M) and 55% of the WMBE dollars spent was on construction contracts. Coming as no surprise, construction was the major driver for the record year we saw in diverse contracting at the Port, facilitated by the number of construction projects procured through alternative delivery methods. Unlike the traditional low-bid process, alternative public works projects are awarded based on qualifications and best overall value rather than just price. Prime contractors are evaluated on several factors, including experience and performance on past projects. In addition, the prime contractor must submit an inclusion plan with their proposal that details their commitments to using subcontractors, including WMBEs.
As seen in the 2025 Diversity in Contracting Annual Report, (page 35), Black or African Americans received the fifth most construction contract spend between all minority groups, which is a trend we’ve seen since 2019. To create a more level playing field, The Diversity in Contracting team, alongside Port leadership, are actively working on the following:
- Ensuring prompt payment, especially in change order processing
- Providing clarity around Project Labor Agreement requirements
- Promoting a direct purchase roster for emerging construction companies to build experience
- Right-sizing bonding and insurance requirements
The Port also continues to invest in firms through the Business Accelerator Program and Capacity Building Mentorship Program. These investments are meant to increase knowledge and confidence of emerging small and diverse businesses in our region which many Black firms are!
Since the inception of Diversity in Contracting in 2018, our affirmative efforts have resulted in greater opportunity for Black firms as well as other small and diverse firms. As we are encouraged by a strong year of contracting, we are optimistic that the next half decade could see even greater results in contracting than this past year. It will take continued collaboration, dialogue, and feedback with the community to keep up the strong showing of small, diverse, and especially Black contracting this past year.
