Pittsburgh City Council gave final approval yesterday to an ordinance launching a new effort to ensure that some city contracts go to minority- and women-owned businesses.

The legislation, by Councilman Ricky Burgess, requires that the city update an 8-year-old study on fairness in contracting and produce quarterly and annual reports on the success of efforts to get work to a diverse set of firms.

The study update, to be done this year, would cost as much as $150,000 and is necessary to provide legal justification for minority contracting measures, Mr. Burgess said. He wants the city to request proposals from researchers to conduct the updated study, but said he expects California-based Mason Tillman Associates would likely have the lowest bid, since it performed the 2000 study.

The proposal now goes to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.