MWDBE Governmental Committee

In 1995 a group of city, county, state and federal governmental agency representatives met to discuss the challenges of implementing successful Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (M/W/DBE) programs within their respective organizations.  This group became known as the MWDBE Governmental Committee.

The purpose of the committee was to provide a forum for each agency to share contracting information and opportunities, act as a sounding board for ideas to strengthen M/W/DBE policies, and be a resource for technical assistance and business development for M/W/DBEs.  It was expected that these companies would benefit from networking opportunities with the members of the committee.

The committee's membership has changed and expanded to more fully represent the governmental sector of the region.  The methods to announce contracting opportunites now include e-mail and a web site, but true to its original purpose, the importance of face-to-face networking among agency representatives and the M/W/DBE business community remains a primary goal and the success of the committee.

Networking Among Agencies

Monthly meetings provide networking opportunities for members.  The meetings are a dynamic forum for members to draw on each other's experiences and lessons learned.  The cooperative nature of this group of professionals helps to keep all members well-informed on contracting opportunities and other issues in the government sector.  A Best Practices Sub-Committee was estabished to share information that can be utilized to strengthen each of the individual programs.

Company Presentations

At each meeting an M/W/DBE certified firm is invited to make a presentation to provide the committee members with an in-depth overview of the products, services and resulting solution they can provide in their area of expertise.  The M/W/DBE certified firm is also encouraged to share his/her experience when attempting to contract with our agencies.  In discussions that follow, the members offer their suggestions to assist the company in moving forward within their organizations as well recommendations for other agencies.  This exchange of information allows the members to learn first-hand about the barriers that M/W/DBE firms often face.