The City of San Antonio released the first Procurement Guide today in an effort to help small, minority, and women-owned business enterprises (S/M/WBEs) navigate through the City contract bidding process. It outlines more than 300 upcoming projects among various City departments to serve as a planning tool for business owners and provide more time to prepare for upcoming solicitations.
The Procurement Guide, which will be released on an annual basis, is designed to encourage business owners to seek resources, bid on City contracts, consider subcontractor opportunities, and provide continued assistance to S/M/WBEs to grow and thrive in San Antonio. It is accessible to all business owners, but was designed to specifically address the needs of minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs). The City of San Antonio conducted a disparity study in 2015 showing that even though progress has been achieved in reducing disparities, barriers still exist for minority and women-owned businesses to be successful in our community. “This is the first time the City of San Antonio will provide a forecasting guide to help small business owners prepare to bid on City contracts,” said City Manager Erik Walsh. “We understand the bidding process can sometimes be intimidating. With this tool, we hope to level the playing field for small, minority, and women-owned businesses, as we continue to implement equity-based policies that promote economic mobility for all entrepreneurs in San Antonio.”
The Small Business Advocacy Committee’s (SBAC) Diversity Action Plan Subcommittee generated the idea for the Procurement Guide. Committee members serve on this board to advise the Mayor, City Council, and City staff on issues and policies related to helping S/M/WBEs grow. The Procurement Guide is an initiative of the five-year Diversity Action Plan (DAP) renewed by City Council in 2018. Since its creation, the DAP has played a key role in improving the City’s utilization efforts of S/M/WBEs from 13% in 2012 to 44% in 2018.
“Over the last 12 months, my team and I worked to ensure this Procurement Guide would offer the right tools to set small business owners up for success in securing City contracts,” said Christopher Herring, former SBAC chair and DAP Subcommittee member. “We are proud of this new initiative and hope it provides the support they need.”
The Procurement Guide was developed through a collaborative effort by all City departments and was coordinated by the Economic Development Department, the Finance Department, and the Transportation and Capital Improvements Department.
Small business owners can access the Procurement Guide digitally by visiting https://www.sanantonio.gov/purchasing/biddingcontract/Guide.Printed copies and a Spanish translation will be made available upon request by calling 210-207-3922.
Source: City of San Antonio
