More than 300 minority-owned, women-owned and emerging small business owners convened for an open house hosted by Metro and Multnomah County.
More than 300 minority-owned, women-owned and emerging small business owners convened Feb. 11 at the Oregon Convention Center for an open house hosted by Metro and Multnomah County.
The event was an opportunity for the contractors to get a deeper understanding of how to bid for government contracts with the two agencies, including a session on how to get certified as an MWESB, and training on the state-run bid management system, ORPIN.
More than 20 departments from Metro and Multnomah County attended to establish relationships with the historically underserved businesses to help increase diversity in contracting.
It was a great networking event with a lot of positive energy, said Suzanne Donaldson-Stephens, owner of Donaldson Enterprises.
“[The open house] gives me access to decision makers and project managers that I don’t always have access to,” she said.
Gabriele Schuster, a procurement manager at Metro, said it can be challenging to inform small businesses about contracting opportunities.
“It helps getting business opportunities to under-served businesses,” Schuster said. “Who is in our region, what types of businesses can do what we’re looking for, and who can we reach out to when we have business opportunities.”
The open house is one of the ways in which Metro engages underserved businesses. Networking opportunities, training and technical assistance, staff participation in small business chamber meetings and non-profit events, are all part of Metro efforts to support MWESB contractors in successfully competing for government contracts.