6th Annual

"Meet the Buyer"

         Purchasing Forum               

  

    Champions of Diversity Awards 2014

The City of Houston's Office of Business Opportunity, the University of Houston-Downtown and Interise are pleased to announce, "Build Up Houston". Build Up Houston is a comprehensive, seven month program designed to increase the capacity and success of small businesses in the construction industry with doing business in the City of Houston.

Build Up Houston is designed to combine the best of classroom learning with real-world case studies and curriculum from Interise's Streetwise MBA™. Business owners will form lasting relationships with each other and gain the knowledge needed to tactfully expand their business. Construction industry experts, business peers, and instructors will provide insight, strategies, motivation, and accountability.

Construction Subject Matter Experts will cover:

• Estimating & Bidding

• Financial Statements

• Financial Analysis

• Bonding & Insurance

• Project Management

• One-on-One Matchmaking

For more information please visit:

www.houstontx.gov/builduphouston 

Small Business Tips

Tips for Building Relationships with Subcontractors to meet MWBE Goals

1. Conduct Vendor Outreach - The key is to meet vendors and suppliers in order to build relationships. This can be done by attending networking opportunities hosted by agencies, trade organizations, and chambers of commerce, hosting your own networking event at your local trade organization, visiting vendor and supplier organizations, holding an informal meet and greet at your office, and scheduling conference calls and in-person meetings.

2.  Provide Access to Information and Share Priorities - Provide only the necessary information at the right time to allow vendors to better service your needs. Providing limited forecast information, new product launches, changes in design or scope of work, and proposal due dates are some examples.

3. Build Relationships with Key Vendors and Allow Them to Help You Strategize - Tap into your vendor's expertise to help you gain a competitive advantage to make your produces better or cheaper, or to provide faster deliverables.

4. Have Long Term Objectives - Seek to obtain long-term relationship in lieu of changing vendors often to obtain marginal cost savings. Changing vendors often could result in higher costs and lower quality over time. Having long term relationships with vendors and suppliers allows you to gain their trust, which could result in priority treatment and access to expert knowledge.

5.  Strive for a Win-Win Agreement - Move from competition to cooperation and collaboration to achieve the best solutions to build a long-term fruitful relationship.

Tips for Subcontractors to Market themselves to Prime Contractors:

1. Join a local Trade Organization

http://www.houstontx.gov/obo/docsandforms/Good_Faith_Efforts_Policy_Review_Org_Contact_List-20140808.pdf

 
2. Introduce yourself to the estimators and/or principals of the companies so they can put a face with your name; And stay in touch with Prime Contractor

3. Provide references and history of work experience

4. Submit quotes to Prime Contractors in a timely manner

5. Include your business contact information and cell phone number on your bid for immediate follow up questions

6. Submit the lowest quote and be clear on your scope services

7. Ask Prime Contractors for feedback on your proposal

8. Attend the City's Pre-Bid conferences

9. Ensure your contact information is up to date in the City's MWSBE Directory

http://www.houstontx.gov/obo/docsandforms/MWSPDBEandDBEAnnualUpdate.pdf 

10. Update your vendor profile for any expansion of services and capabilities

http://www.houstontx.gov/obo/docsandforms/expansionofcapabilityform.pdf 

Attention Prime Contractors: If you are unable to meet the City's advertised MWBE goal despite your best efforts, you can submit a Good Faith Efforts request for review with the Office of Business Opportunity. Your Good Faith Efforts request is evaluated based on your demonstration of the guidelines set forth in the City's Good Faith Efforts Policy. Please refer to the City's Good Faith Efforts Policy for guidance: http://www.houstontx.gov/obo/docsandforms/goodfaithefforts.pdf

Attention MWSBE Subcontractors: If price competitiveness is the reason for your bid rejection, a meeting must be held with the Prime Contractor to discuss the rejection, if requested. Please refer to the City's Good Faith Efforts Policy for additional information: http://www.houstontx.gov/obo/docsandforms/goodfaithefforts.pdf 

 Success Story: 

Cavazos Communications 

Agency owner, Sylvia Cavazos, established CAVAZOS Communications in 2002 in order to achieve her vision of providing effective, meaningful, and proven communications counsel to organizations that are not yet successfully reaching their target audiences. Sylvia provides clients with insightful professional counsel derived from her 20-plus years experience in public relations, marketing, advertising, and radio/TV journalism in the general, multicultural and Hispanic markets.

CAVAZOS Communications, a certified MWDBE with the City of Houston is a firm dedicated to reaching multi-cultural audiences and under-served communities through focused engagement and communications utilizing localization and grassroots outreach on a national, regional and/or local level.

The firm offers a broad range of public relations, public affairs, advertising, brand management and marketing services with special expertise in integrating messages in-culture and finding a common ground for engagement.  CAVAZOS has varied experience with corporate, non-profit and government clients. CAVAZOS has in-house capabilities in the following:

• Multicultural Outreach - Hispanics/Latinos - Asian - African-Americans - International audiences - Diverse demographics

• Under-served Communities - Seniors - Veterans - Homeless - etc.

• Public Affairs - Outreach to community and government representatives

• Media Relations & Crisis and Issues management

• Community engagement and strategic philanthropy

• Employee communications

• In-culture messaging - Trans-creations / Translations (Spanish - Chinese - Vietnamese - Korean - other languages as required)