County, City, and Water Authority Align on Gender-Pay Equity Measure for Vendors

January 21, 2021

The City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority have joined together to promote gender pay equality. All three entities have aligned their procurement code to award a 5% preference to businesses that pay men and women equitably.

This 5% initiative means businesses wishing to contract with any of the three governmental agencies can receive a 5% preference if they can show that men and women performing the same work, or that have similar positions within their businesses or organizations, are paid the same wage.

Mayor Tim Keller said, "The playing field won't be level until women, and especially women of color, earn fair wages compared to their counterparts. Part of that means rewarding companies that walk the walk. The battle is not over but this an important step and gives those bidding for work with our local governments another reason to do the right thing and close the pay equity gap.”

“This is a great unified opportunity to reward companies that recognize the value of employees regardless of their gender,” said Bernalillo County Commissioner Charlene Pyskoty. “Equal pay for equal work is of vital importance within the jurisdiction of these three governmental partners.”

“The Water Authority is happy to join the County and the City in providing an incentive for our contractors to address pay equity issues among their employees. It’s another example of local governments partnering to make Albuquerque and Bernalillo County an even better place to live and work,” said Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority Chair Klarissa Pena. 

A company’s bid amount will be considered 5% lower if equal pay is verified within the company. For proposals, 5% will be added to the total possible points or the total weight of all the factors used in evaluating the proposal. For example, a company that bids $100,000 for a contract and verifies equal pay would be considered to have bid $95,000. When submitting a proposal that has been assigned a total possible points of 100, an additional 5 points will be added to the overall evaluation score the company receives.

To be eligible for the preference, businesses must obtain a Pay Equity Certificate from the GenderPay Equity Initiative, which shows the difference between the pay of men and women in comparable positions. To receive the Pay Equity Certificate, businesses submitting bids or proposals must include a signed Pay Equity Reporting Form with their bid or proposal, which can be downloaded on the respective entity’s website. Once completed, the form is signed and submitted as part of each vendor’s bid or proposal packet.

Each Pay Equity Reporting Form is valid for one year from the date it is signed, and is in accordance with the New Mexico State Fair Pay for Women Act.

The gender-pay equity amendment will be implemented and recognized by all the agencies on Jan. 25.