July 21, 2026
Since the inception of Diversity in Contracting at the Port of Seattle in 2018, goals were established to ensure the Port provides equitable contracting opportunities to women and minority business enterprises Benchmarks in diverse contracting were identified, and plans were put in motion to keep the Port accountable to its vision to promote economic opportunities in an equitable manner. Every year we release an annual report to offer transparency in how and what the Port is doing to uphold those commitments. Today, we are glad to share our 2025 Diversity in Contracting Annual Report that illustrates the efforts and partnerships that led to a record year in diverse business partnership at the Port of Seattle!
After making remarkable progress towards goals established in our previous policy directive, the Port Commission adopted Policy Directive 3836 on July 8, 2025 to establish new five-year goals between 2025-2029 which are to:
- Increase contract expenditure with WMBE firms to 16%
- Increase the number of WMBE firms contracting with the Port to 500
At the beginning of each year, progress towards each of these goals starts from zero. Yet, in just our first year of these new goals, the Port experienced record highs in both categories by increasing contract expenditure with WMBE firms to 15.3% and increasing the number of WMBE firms contracting with the Port to 400. A key driver of the record-setting year was an increase in total construction spend in aviation construction contracts which accounts for 42% of all Port spending. Ultimately, these records were made possible only by the steadfast commitment to equity and diversity by the Port and its partners.
To achieve and exceed our goals in the next half decade, Diversity in Contracting will continue:
- Advocating for procedure and policy improvements like prompt payment and insurance flexibility to improve small and diverse businesses competition and compensation.
- Setting equitable WMBE goals on projects and sustaining and expanding our relationships with our primes to support them in achieving those goals.
- Expanding our community footprint to identify and empower the next generation of diverse business owners through Port trainings and programming.
While economic conditions and external conditions may shift, the Port’s dedication to serving and uplifting the small and diverse business community will not waver. We encourage you to read the totality of our report and consider the Port as a place to partner in years to come!
