I'm Certified - What's Next?
Friday, December 12, 2008 4:55 PM
About 55 small business owners filed into our board room this morning to learn tips on how to do business with a giant agency like METRO.
With construction already underway on one of our five light-rail lines and plans to complete these lines by 2012, small businesses will have plenty of opportunity to do business with us. Our goal is to award 35 percent of our contracts to Small Business Enterprises/Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (SBE/DBE), exceeding the federal mandate.
"The purpose of the seminar was to inform the certified small businesses on how to actually do business with METRO after they become certified - the ins and outs of the procurement process as well as the benefits of procurement," said Cynthia Dudley, METRO's small business development and assistance officer, pictured above.
Nadeem Ainuddin, METRO's senior contract specialist in procurement, had the audience laughing as he encouraged them to "bug" him and call him with questions, telling them that he, too, was once an entrepreneur and understood their issues.
At the seminar, the business owners learned the benefits of being certified:
- Can be listed in METRO's directory as a program participant
- Can list the cost of bonds as a line item in the bid and be reimbursed by METRO
- Can invoice METRO every 15 calendar days.
- Can invoice METRO for mobilization costs and be paid within 15 calendar days
- Can register for college-level and specific industry technical courses, seminars and workshops. METRO may pay a portion of the cost of the courses
Not yet certified? Click here to learn more. Shurronda Murray, METRO's small business project specialist, pictured on the right, is the one who certifies small businesses.
Business owners also learned tips on getting in the door at METRO, including the following:
- Aggressively and professionally market your company.
- Register at http://www.ridemetro.org/ for automatic e-mail notices of new solicitations, updates and contract awards.
- Attend METRO pre-bid and pre-proposal conferences.
- Complete bid proposals as instructed, including all requested documents.
Dudley said METRO started offering these "I'm Certified - What's Next?" seminars on a monthly basis when our fiscal year started in October because we were getting so many questions from newly- certified business owners.
"A lot of these businesses want to see you and hear you talk," said Dudley.
Evaluation forms were distributed immediately following the event, and Dudley read one: "The staff was engaged and very helpful."
That's exactly what METRO wants to hear.
"These events are well-received," said Dudley. "It motivates the small businesses to want to do business with METRO because they know we care. And we want them to succeed."