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Portsmouth reports high completion, early contract wins from small-business procurement training
Summary
An eight-week procurement training run by Portsmouth economic development and the Hampton Roads SBDC enrolled 18 small businesses; staff reported strong survey results and at least one awarded city contract and one housing-authority award tied to program participants.
Portsmouth Economic Development staff reported that an eight-week Procurement and Contracting Capacity Initiative (PPCI) run this winter produced strong early outcomes for participating small businesses.
The training, held Jan. 9–Feb. 27 and organized by Portsmouth Economic Development in partnership with the Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center (SBDC), enrolled 18 businesses; 16 completed the program and 15 returned a follow-up survey, staff said. According to those survey responses, 100% of respondents rated the program’s content “relevant and valuable,” and 92% said they were better prepared to pursue government contracts after the training. Staff told the Economic Development Authority that 85% of respondents have either been awarded a contract or are pursuing contracting leads as a result of the program.
Why it matters: City procurement officials and the Housing Authority participated in the classroom sessions and one-on-one follow-up, which EDA staff said helped graduates win early opportunities. EDA members were told the program expanded the pipeline of small minority-owned contractors qualified to bid on city and housing authority work.
EDA staff said the program is producing follow-up advising for participants at no cost through the SBDC, and that at least one participant has secured a contract with the Portsmouth Housing Authority. Organizers said they will continue to track participants and provide counseling to support competitive proposals and improve application completeness.
The EDA also announced a related public event: the second annual How to Do Business session on May 28, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., which will include procurement staff from the city, schools and housing authority, private-sector developers and about 30 resource vendors. The program will again offer vendor tables and private-company “match” meetings to allow small businesses to meet prospective contractors.
Organizers asked the EDA to continue supporting the training series; EDA members praised the program’s regional visibility and called for continued follow-up and tracking of participant contract wins.
Looking ahead: Staff said they will keep monitoring the 16 graduates, continue one-on-one advising through SBDC and consider repeating the training later in the year. EDA members asked staff to report back on a 12‑month follow-up tally of actual contract awards from program participants.
Ending: City staff said the SBDC partnership is ongoing and that the program’s written participant testimonials and survey data will be available to the EDA for future reporting and grant applications.
