From Daily Press By Josh Janney
If your company qualifies as small — or is owned by a woman or minority — Newport News wants to do business with you.
The city’s purchasing office launched an initiative to encourage more small, women- and minority-owned (SWaM) businesses to compete for contracting opportunities with Newport News.
The office will offer free monthly workshops to help these businesses better understand the procurement process, SWaM certification, developing business plans and the types of projects and contracts awarded to vendors, according to a press release from the city.
The first workshop, titled “Small Business Pre-Certification & How To Do Business With Newport News,” is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday. Classes will be online and in person at Brooks Crossing Innovation Lab, 550 30th St., Suite 101-102.
To learn more about the workshops, visit nnswam.eventbrite.com.
The initiative aims to widen opportunities for participation in city contracts and to help companies understand the benefits of obtaining certification as a SWaM business for all government contracting.
For more information about the initiative, contact SWaM Business Services Coordinator Pamela Croom at 757-926-8039 or croompb@nnva.gov. For the list of current solicitations, visit www.nnva.gov/purchasing.
Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com
