Supporting a Diverse, Local Business Community

The City of Madison is committed to maximizing opportunities for local businesses and businesses owned by historically marginalized groups to do business with the City. Contracting with these vendors supports our efforts to create an inclusive, innovative, and thriving community by investing in shared prosperity and equity.

One way we create economic opportunity is by being intentional in where we spend City dollars. The City funds a lot of construction work, both of public works like streets, sidewalks, and facilities and of privately led projects like subsidized housing or economic development projects. We work with developers and contractors to increase the utilization of small, women owned, and BIPOC owned construction firms on City funded projects. The City also purchases a considerable amount of supplies and materials. We recently released new purchasing guidelines requiring City departments to obtain multiple quotes for purchases, one of which must be from a registered local business and one from a historically marginalized business.

In an effort to increase awareness of the diversity of businesses located in Madison and the surrounding areas and support these contracting equity efforts, the Department of Civil Rights is hosting two upcoming events. We hope our community will join us so we can increase the amount of money the City of Madison spends with diverse local businesses:

Demystifying Certification: Opportunities Abound  

Are you a minority business owner looking to expand the reach of your business to government opportunities? Do the acronyms DBE, MBE, and TBE sound like alphabet soup? If so, this is the virtual event for you!

Date: January 19, 2022

Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm

Location: Zoom

Please register by January 15 to reserve your spot and join our virtual platform to learn about each governmental agency’s business opportunities, certification requirements, and tips for successfully bidding on government contracts.

Prime Contractor & Sub-Contractor Networking

Join The City of Madison & Dane County for a prime contractor and sub-contractor networking event. Connect with Primes to learn about upcoming projects and build new relationships.

Date: February 24, 2022

Time: 4:00pm - 5:30pm

Location: Zoom

Register online: https://contractor-networking.eventbrite.com

In addition to networking, Dane County and The City of Madison will be presenting on upcoming contracting opportunities.

It’s important to me that the City spends its money in a way that reflects our values. I hope local businesses will take advantage of these opportunities to learn about how to contract with the City and other government entities, and I hope each of you will join us in supporting local, diverse businesses. Shopping locally and from businesses owned by historically marginalized communities helps to build our local economy and promote economic equity. If you need tips on where to shop in the Madison area, please check out these resources:

• Dane Buy Local: https://danebuylocal.wildapricot.org/
• Madison Black Chamber of Commerce’s Black Business Directory: https://www.madisonblackchamber.com/directory
• Latino Chamber of Commerce Business Directory: http://business.lccwi.org/list/