In December 2020, Norfolk City Council passed an inclusive procurement ordinance. This established a framework to achieve citywide spending goals of 12% minority-owned and 13% women-owned business participation on City contracts as a result of a collaborative effort led by our department. At minimum, we will spend approximately $3 out of every $25 with minority and women-owned businesses.
Since setting spending goals in 2020, the City has worked to debundle large contracts into smaller opportunities, creating more access to small firms to do business with the City. As contracts expire, we are finding new ways for the City to do business with Small, Women and Minority-Owned (SWaM) firms. Watch the video.
Collaboration is at the core of our commitment to Economic Inclusion. Partnering with our stakeholders is a central part of our strategy. This includes businesses that participate in our Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee and statewide agencies like the Virginia Small Business & Supplier Diversity (SBSD) Office. Angela Barber, the regional representative, works closely with the Economic Inclusion team and visits their downtown office monthly to guide entrepreneurs and business owners through the SWaM certification process.