Culture and Process: Doing Business Where Government Has Never Done Business Before April 7, 2021 Watch the first of a 3-part webinar series presented by Next City and Living Cities on public procurement, race, and the pandemic. The data have shown what many already knew to be true, that businesses owned by people of color are the hardest hit by the pandemic and its economic fallout. Despite looming local budget deficits, the 2021 American Rescue Plan has earmarked more than $45 billion in aid for cities. So local governments can still leverage the power of their own public spending. Mindful procurement programs can mitigate disproportionate losses for workers and for the neighborhoods they support. And a commitment to inclusive procurement is an obvious way to ensure that the eventual recovery includes or even starts in the hardest-hit communities.