In a series of four sessions, local businesses will learn how to position themselves for construction and service related contracts in Delray Beach and other area municipalities. City Purchasing Manager Patsy Nadal and CRA Marketing and Grants Manager Elizabeth Burrows are organizing the workshops.
Nadal said the workshops are targeting small businesses, minority- and women-owned businesses, and any other local tradespeople or service providers interested in construction and building maintenance work.
“We’re reaching out to local people with skills to design or construct a building, and services to maintain the building once it’s up, such as landscapers and janitorial specialists,”
The new series draws heavily on information shared at smaller workshops that the City has held in the past, infused with answers to common questions, advice from industry experts, and more business resources. While previous City workshops were unable to cover important issues in depth due to time constraints, each “Building Bridges to Success” session will be highly focused on the most critical, and often misunderstood, aspects of the bidding and contracting process.
The idea for the workshop series was also partly inspired by recent questions from residents and community stakeholders on whether the CRA would set minimum hiring standards for local tradespeople and vendors as part of the development of a new hotel proposed for West Atlantic Avenue.
“The CRA wants to encourage as much local hiring as possible through our future RFPs [Requests for Proposals],”
The first “Building Bridges to Success” workshop will discuss where to look for contract opportunities, registering with municipalities, pre-bid meetings, and certification options for small businesses. The second session is scheduled for Tuesday, March 27, 5:30pm at City Hall (150 NW 1st Avenue) and will focus on standard bonding and insurance requirements and policies often included in public contracts. The third workshop will take place on Saturday, April 21, 12:30 p.m. at the Delray Public Library. It will discuss subcontracting as a strategy for gaining experience and leveraging contract opportunities.
The final session, scheduled for Saturday, May 19, 12:30 p.m. at the Delray Public Library, will be a business matchmaking event. Primary contractors, subcontractors, other vendors and professional associations will have a chance to network and forge business connections.
Burrows emphasizes that the series is not aimed at preparing locals for any specific upcoming project. Both the City and CRA solicit bids for various construction, landscaping, and service jobs on a regular basis, providing ongoing opportunities that people can participate in.
“Having our local contractors and other industry professionals put their skills to work right here in our community is invaluable,”
For more information about the Building Bridges to Success workshop series, visit the CRA website at www.delraycra.org. To contact Patsy Nadal at City Hall, call at (561) 243-7161 or send an email to nadal@mydelraybeach.com;
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About the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency: Our mission is to foster and directly assist in the redevelopment of the Community Redevelopment Area in order to eliminate blight, create a sustainable downtown and encourage economic growth, thus improving the attractiveness and quality of life of the CRA District and the City of Delray Beach as a whole.
