I've personally witnessed this over and over. I've had a hell of a time getting contracts in my line of work because I'm not a minority. You have to fill out "diversity statements" when applying for these contracts, and if you're not a minority your chances of being approved are severely reduced.
I worked a little in contracting, so I get what you're saying. You have to give at least three bids and this mess called the FAR says you have to give first dibs to:
- Minority-owned businesses
- Women-owned businesses
- Disabled people
- Small businesses
That's just to name a few. Otherwise, if you have a company you like and want to use, you have to draft this long spiel called a "sole-source justification", to explain why you're picking this company as opposed to any others. And it has to be approved, before you can make the deal.
Am I in the ballpark here on this one?