Page 34 - Superintendent Report 2023-24

District Certified Small Business Enterprise Participation in
Construction

The District established a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) program, certification program, outreach program, and annual
Small Business University training to ensure equity and diversity in procurement and educational opportunities for all
small, minority, and woman-owned businesses.
Small businesses typically lack access to the same resources and opportunities generally afforded to large businesses. To
help increase the ability of small construction companies to compete, the District issued proprietary certifications to 341
construction vendors. Being certified with the District gives an excellent opportunity for subcontractors to be included in
large, multimillion-dollar District opportunities via the Office of Diversity in Business Practices’ system of SBE participation
goals. To ensure that our SBEs are well-informed about construction opportunities within the District, the Office of Diversity
in Business Practices (ODBP) conducted:

• Ten multi-trade construction outreach events
• Four certification trainings in English, Spanish, and
Haitian Creole

The District continually collaborates with Palm Beach
State College, Florida Atlantic University’s Small Business Procurement
opportunities
Development Center, and Kaufman Lynn Construction at Construction
to annually offer the ODBP Small Business University Summit 2023
12-week course to support, engage, and mentor
entrepreneurs in the South Florida region. Palm Beach
State College issued micro-credentialing badges to 78
business owners to recognize their specialized skill set and
relevant knowledge in their fields. Micro-credentialing
provides a faster route to higher education possibilities
and professional credibility.

These District programs have led to awards
worth over $133 million to certified SBE Prime
Contractors for FY23. Figure 9 shows the
District’s efforts and successes in improving
equitable participation in programs and
Subcontractors’ resources.
access to
contracts
and knowledge
with Prime
Contractors

34 // Superintendent Annual Report 2022 - 2023