Buckner Promotes Contracting Workshops for Local Businesses

CHICAGO – State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, is highlighting contracting workshops for local businesses that wish to provide goods and services for Chicago’s city government.

“Government at all levels should prioritize getting goods and services from local businesses, but for too many local small businesses the government contracting process is opaque and difficult to understand,” Buckner said. “That’s why I’m excited to promote contracting workshops hosted by the city of Chicago that will help local businesses understand the business opportunities available with city government and how to do business with the city.”

The Chicago Department of Procurement Services (DPS) is hosting free virtual workshops throughout the month of August to help businesses understand Chicago’s contracting policies and procedures. DPS is offering the following workshops, all of which occur from 2-3pm and require registration 24 hours in advance:

• 5 – How to Navigate the DPS Website
• 6 – The ABC’s of Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) Certification
• 12 – Doing Business with Sister Agencies: Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, Public Building Commission, Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Park District, and the Chicago Transit Authority
• 13 – Introduction To eProcurement
• 19 – How to Become Certified as a an ACDBE, Business Enterprise for People with Disabilities (BEPD), DBE, Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE), Veteran-Owned Business (VBE), and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE)
• 20 – Procurement Fundamentals: Doing Business with the City
• 26 – 10,000 Small Business Information Session with the Goldman Sachs Foundation
• 27 – Building Chicago Construction Contracting Overview

Business owners and operators can register for workshops by visiting the DPS events website at chicago.gov/dpsevents. The DPS events website also hosts archived presentations of workshops for businesses unable to attend on specified dates.

“I’m glad to see that Chicago is working proactively to help local businesses understand the municipal contracting and procurement process,” Buckner said. “This type of proactive outreach to local businesses helps the city acquire more goods and services made in Chicago by Chicagoans and helps businesses run by people from historically disadvantaged communities understand the contracting opportunities that exist for city government.”