Hillsborough County to expand SBE and DM/DWBE

A wider array of minority-owned, women-owned, and small businesses in the Tampa Bay area and across Florida are gaining the opportunity for doing business with Hillsborough County.

Source : Contractor News

February 24, 2022

Author : Patty Rodriguez

A wider array of minority-owned, women-owned, and small businesses in the Tampa Bay area and throughout Florida will have new opportunities for doing business with Hillsborough County.

This is thanks to a recent update to a program approved by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners.

Hillsborough’s Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Encouragement program is being expanded to include qualifying businesses in the surrounding counties of Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando. 

The maximum number of permanent full-time employees for these small business has been increased to 50, and the maximum gross annual sales to $8 million for construction businesses and $5 million for other industries. This raises the ceiling for a lot of firms.

Meanwhile, the County's Disadvantaged Minority/Disadvantaged Women Business Enterprise (DM/DWBE) program, already connecting with businesses throughout Florida, has increased the maximum net worth for qualifying businesses to $5 million for firms in the construction industry and $4 million for other industries.

Another major change to the programs was to prevent pass-throughs of awarded procurements to non-MBE or SBE firms by requiring at least 50 percent of the work contracted to an MBE or SBE firm be performed by that MBE or SBE firm's workforce.

It is anticipated that these program updates will not only increase the number of eligible DM/DWBE and SBE firms in the County's programs but also expand the overall participation rate for DM/DWBE and SBE firms, and provide greater opportunities to disadvantaged firms. The ordinance change occurs as part of a series of program enhancements started last year when the County created a dedicated Minority and Small Business Enterprises Division.

You can learn more here at the County’s compliance system administered by B2Gnow.

Category : Minority Women Business Enterprises Small Business Enterprises Women Business Enterprises Local Government

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