Item 04 - Austin’s Small and Minority Business Resources Program Briefing — original pdf

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Austin Water and Wastewater Commission – Austin Small and Minority Business Resources Overview Felecia Shaw, Compliance Officer Austin Small and Minority Business Resources | September 16, 2026 Austin Small and Minority Business Resources Overview Administers the Minority Business Enterprise and Women Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) Procurement Program, ACDBE/DBE and SBE Programs by:     Certifying businesses that meet eligibility criteria Monitoring utilization of certified firms on City contracts Provides resources and technical assistance certified firms and small businesses, and administrative support to Austin SMBR Performing outreach, developing department communications and monitors performance data Austin SMBR Divisions Certification Division Compliance Division Resources Division Strategic Services Division 2 Austin SMBR Leadership Team 3 Certification Division Certifies qualified firms as Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE), and Small Business Enterprises (SBE). Certification Type Certification Projects/Funding Source Applicant Max Personal Net Worth (PNW) Site Visit Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) COA Certifies COA Projects and Funding $2,545,299 COA Discretion Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) COA Certifies COA Projects and Funding $2,545,299 COA Discretion Small Business Enterprise (SBE) COA Certifies COA Projects and Funding N/A COA Discretion Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Airport Concession DBE (ACDBE) COA Certifies COA Projects and Funding $2,047,000 Federal Requirement 4 Certification Criteria Fifty-one percent (51%) owned, managed, and controlled by an economically and socially disadvantaged individual Presumed Groups  Minority  Asian-American  African-American  Native American  Hispanic  Women  Must have experience directly related to the firm’s scope of work  Must manage and control day-to-day operations 5 Compliance Division Austin SMBR’s Compliance Division is responsible for performing “pre-award” compliance (pre- solicitation – contract award) and “post-award” (post contract execution) compliance monitoring functions for all competitively solicited City procurements over $50K.  Construction  Construction-related Professional Services  Non-Professional Services  Goods/Commodities Austin SMBR works closely with Austin Financial Services Central Procurement, Austin Capital Delivery, and City Sponsor Departments on capital procurements. Compliance monitoring is “cradle-to-grave” from pre-solicitation issuance through project close-out. 6 Pre-Award Compliance Monitoring  Review subcontracting opportunities identified by Project/Contract Managers in the Trade Summary scopes of work and establish MBE/WBE goals  Attend Pre-Bid/Pre-Response/Pre-Offer meetings to communicate the requirements of the MBE/WBE or ACDBE/DBE Programs associated with the solicitation  Respond to all MBE/WBE/ACDBE/DBE program requirements during active solicitation “No-Contact” period  Review Compliance Plan and Good Faith Effort (GFE) submissions from Respondents; this is a review of sub utilization commitments  Make determinations of Compliance or Non-Compliance  Participate in appeals and Protest Hearings, if applicable  Review Recommendation for Council Awards (RCAs) for Council consideration (Capital and General Procurements) 7 Post-Award Compliance Monitoring  Attend Pre-Construction/Professional Services Kick-Off Meetings to discuss post award program requirements  Attend Project Progress Meetings with City project team and Prime  Review subcontractor/subconsultant payments to monitor sub-utilization in B2GNow (City’s Certification and Compliance System – CCS)  Review Request for Changes (RFCs) subcontractors/subconsultants  Official process to change the approved Compliance Plan to add, substitute, or delete  Facilitate meetings with sub(s) & Prime on payment or work issues  Perform Desk and Site audits  Review Final MBE/WBE Close-Out  Issue Violation(s) & recommend Sanctions 8 Resources Division Provides supportive services and technical assistance:  Monthly Small Business Office Hours  Meet the Prime/Sub Networking events  Online Workshops  In-person Panel Discussions featuring certified businesses  Partnerships  Readiness Training Program for Historically Underutilized Businesses (IC2 Institute – UT Austin)  Economic Growth Business Incubator (EGBI)  Minority Trade Associations: Austin Area Black Contractors Association, Asian Contractors & Engineers Association, and US Hispanic Contractors Association de Austin  One-on-One Technical Assistance  SMBR Resources Guide 9 Annual Small Business Connections Conference  Held the 4th annual conference on August 19, 2026  Featured general sessions on upcoming City projects, how to access resources, industry breakout sessions, exhibitors and networking.  Attendee participation has continued to increase:  2026 Conference: 775 attendees  2025 Conference: 770 attendees  2024 Conference: 700 attendees  2023 Conference: 350 attendees 10 Strategic Services Division Manages department’s communications, marketing, and outreach; performance data tracking and reporting; and special initiatives:  Publishes communications  Announcements, Monthly Events Newsletter, Quarterly Newsletter, Social Media, Austin SMBR Website, Press Releases, E- Blasts  Initiates marketing efforts  Facebook, LinkedIn, She Built This video series, Austin SMBR video series, and marketing collateral  Coordinates and participates in outreach events  Planning for annual conference, facilitates Austin SMBR’s outreach on large-scale, high profile projects  Manages performance data tracking and reporting  Austin SMBR KPIs, Open Data Portal, Citywide Strategic Planning  Serves as contributor on special initiatives:  Small Business Strong initiative, Inclusive Procurement Working Group final report 11 Stay Connected! 12 Questions? www.austintexas.gov/smbr