Office of Small and Minority - Women Business Programs

Certification. Certification. Certification. Why is this so important? Government entities, like the City of West Palm Beach, want to do even more business with small businesses, women-owned businesses and minority-owned businesses - not to mention veteran-owned and disabled-owned - businesses.

But in order to do so, business owners need to be certified. So why should you get certified?

Answer #1: To bid more. Work that the City needs done is described in solicitations that certified companies can bid on. Once your company is certified, you will receive notifications on projects that need your expertise. The more you know about upcoming projects, the more you can submit a competitive bid.

Answer #2: To be discovered. Prime contractors are always looking for qualified, reputable, certified businesses that could help them do the work. When you are certified, Prime contractors can discover you at networking events, informational meetings and in the government databases.

Answer #3: To network better. The City of West Palm Beach and other government agencies regularly hold networking events that you learn about if you are certified. You will receive newsletters, invitations and updates to learn about upcoming projects that need local business support.

Answer #4: To meet loan requirements. Special loan and grant programs are often made available to help local businesses recover from emergency circumstances, such as the pandemic. If you are certified, you will learn about these programs and be eligible to apply for assistance.

Answer #5: To learn sooner. What are the plans to improve the City of West Palm Beach? Who are the new business leaders? When will these projects start happening? With certification comes access to answers to questions like these, which help shape the City's business landscape.

Get started by filling out the application and submitting your paperwork:

• Certification Application(PDF, 260KB)
• Recertification Application(PDF, 235KB)

A business tax receipt is a sign of approval from a local government that you paid a nominal fee to start your business. Many cities and counties require you to have a business tax receipt before your business opens its doors to the public.

• Business Tax Application(PDF, 75KB)

In the Guide to Doing Business with the City, you'll find information that explains what your business will need and what steps you should take to becoming a certified vendor or contractor with the City of West Palm Beach. Also included are resources to become certified with other agencies, how to find contract opportunities, and how to work with local banks that specialize in supporting small business.

What's Inside the Guide:

• A directory of departments that are useful to businesses,
• A template you can use to organize your Business Plan,
• Instructions on how to apply for a Business Tax Receipt from the City of West Palm Beach,
• Applications and requirements for City Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Minority- and
• Woman-Owned Business (M/WBE) Certification,
• How to find business opportunities online,
• Program details, and more.

To receive your free copy, request a digital copy via email at shammerstein@wpb.org or pick up a hard copy from the Office of Small and Minority/Woman Business Programs, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 401 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

The Office of Small and Minority/Women Business Programs produces a quarterly e-letter called "Let's Talk Procurement," which features Small Business Spotlights, upcoming events and programs, and the latest news from the City and its partners.

To get on the email distribution list to receive the "Let's Talk Procurement" e-letter, email Sandra Hammerstein at shammerstein@wpb.org and request to be added.

The Office of Small and Minority/Women Business Programs sets goals on the participation of small-, minority- and women-owned business enterprises within the City's Procurement system. To meet those goals, our team is responsible for the following:

• Setting standards and goals for City and Prime Contractors' usage of SBEs, MWBEs and veteran-owned enterprises for sub-consultant and subcontractor participation on awarded contracts
• Educating business owners on the SBE, MWBE and veteran-owned business certification process, so they can be informed of and included in solicitations for City contracts Assisting business owners with the certification process and collaborating with other government agencies on streamlining certification requirements
• Facilitating business relationships between and among Prime Contractors, certified SBEs, MWBEs and veteran-owned enterprises and new business enterprises
• Tracking payments and performing compliance checks of Prime Contractor usage of SBEs and MWBEs and reporting participation data for state, regional and federal agencies
• Issue Sheltered Market surveys and assign specific solicitations for Sheltered Market participation
• Establishing and tracking compliance on Sheltered Market opportunities for SBEs and MWBEs
• Eliminating barriers to equitable contract awards, increasing diversity among City contractors, and increasing the number of certified businesses qualified to bid City opportunities.

To learn more about the impact of Office of Small and Minority/Women Business Programs, download the Outlook 2022(PDF, 851KB) report.

Following are ordinances that govern the existing programs under the direction of the Office of Small and Minority/Woman Business Programs:

• Small Business Program (SBE)
• Minority/Woman Business Program (M/WBE)
• Service-disabled Veterans
• Local Workforce
• Living Wage

The Office of Small and Minority/Woman Business Programs
City Hall
401 Clematis Street
2nd Floor West Palm Beach, FL 33401
561-822-2104
shammerstein@wpb.org