New Program Designed for Construction, Architectural, Engineering, and Surveying Services; Information Meeting Set for November 14
DURHAM, N.C. – Small business owners in Durham, Chatham, Orange, and Person counties could soon have enhanced opportunities to obtain contracts to work for the City of Durham thanks to the proposed Small Local Business Enterprise Program.
The proposed program, designed for small businesses that specialize in construction, architectural, engineering, and surveying services, is being overseen by the City’s Equal Opportunity & Equity Assurance Department. “Since receiving legislative authorization in 2011 to develop a program for the Durham Metropolitan Statistical Area, we have been working to create a race and gender neutral program designed to support local small businesses that would enhance our MSA’s tax base and employment opportunities,” said Deborah Giles, director of the City’s Equal Opportunity & Equity Assurance Department. “As part of the process of implementing this program, we are hosting a town hall meeting with our stakeholders prior to presenting this to the City Council for their review later this year.”
The information session is set for Wednesday, November 14, 2012, at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers inside City Hall, 101 City Hall Plaza. According to Giles, the meeting will cover eligibility requirements for the program, the certification process, how the program will work, and the timeline for the program implementation as well as answer any questions about the proposed program.
“We consider this to be a boost to our small businesses who are interested in City of Durham projects since only businesses that are certified through this program will receive advertisements and be eligible to bid on certain projects,” Giles said.
For information about the proposed Small Local Business Enterprise Program or the upcoming information session, contact Giles at (919) 560-4180, ext. 17243 or by email at Deborah.Giles@DurhamNC.gov.
About the Equal Opportunity & Equity Assurance Department
The City of Durham’s Equal Opportunity & Equity Assurance Department is responsible for the implementation of the City's Equal Business Opportunity Program. Responsibilities include implementation of race and gender neutral measures to facilitate the participation of Small Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (SDBE) in City contracting activity, recruitment, certification, and maintenance of SDBE data bank, business development, City project compliance, monitoring, and reporting. Guided by the City’s Strategic Plan, the department ensures that its services support making Durham a great place to live, work, and play by focusing on a strong and diverse economy, assuring that City efforts are well managed, and supporting the stewardship of the City’s physical assets. To learn more, visit http://durhamnc.gov/ich/as/eoea/Pages/Home.aspx.