City Contracts 101

Small businesses throughout the city are asked to attend a March 26 workshop at the Asian American Resource Center on Cameron Road to learn how to apply and be considered for city contracts of less than $50,000. The session runs from 2-4:30 p.m. and will feature representatives from the city’s Purchasing Office, Small and Minority Business Resources Department, the Small Business Program, Economic Development Department, Capital Contracting Office, Austin Energy and Austin Public Health. The Austin Business Journal reports that the city has seen a decrease in the number of vendors applying for city contracts – with small businesses receiving roughly 15 percent of the bids – and that applicants are especially wanted in the fields of electrical services, training, consulting, safety equipment, landscaping, plumbing, fleet management and technology. Growing small businesses that provide jobs in what’s typically referred to as workforce positions with middle-class incomes has become a priority for the city’s economic incentives program, which is expected to be formally adopted later this year.