Small businesses interested in doing business with the City of Fort Worth can become more involved through the city’s Small Business Development Program. The SBDP is designed to serve as a cornerstone for economic growth by addressing the unique challenges faced by small businesses and providing the tools they need to succeed. Its goal is to strengthen Fort Worth’s small business ecosystem by cultivating competition and collaboration, increasing access to resources and fostering innovation to ensure the long-term sustainability of both the business community and the local workforce across industry sectors.
Doing business with the City
One of the SBDP’s goals is to help small businesses navigate public sector procurement processes so they can participate, compete and win contracting opportunities from the City of Fort Worth. The first step is for small business owners to become eligible by obtaining their Small Business Enterprise (SBE) certification, which provides them with a 5% bid preference on City contracts up to $100,000.
In support of this effort, the City of Fort Worth is partnering with the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (NCTRCA) on a series of quarterly workshops to help walk business owners through the SBE certification process and how it can help support their long-term growth. The first of these workshops will be Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the Devoyd Jennings Business Assistance Center (BAC) and will be offered in two languages — the English workshop will take place from 2:30-3:30 p.m., and the Spanish workshop will run from 3:45-4:45 p.m.
The Small Business Development Program also supports other small business and workforce initiatives — particularly business development classes at the BAC and programs for veteran-owned businesses.
The SBDP is also a collaborative effort, as the program brings together local certification agencies, community organizations and Fort Worth’s three chambers of commerce to ensure small businesses have the tools, knowledge and opportunities to thrive in Fort Worth.
“The Small Business Development Program has really become a cornerstone of our work to help support our small business community,” said Assistant Director of Economic Development Ori Fernandez. “In partnership with the chambers, we’re trying to help these small businesses strengthen their capacity, build supportive relationships in the community and access meaningful resources to help them grow.”
