San Antonio committee advances review of city procurement with focus on supplier engagement and capacity building

The Economic and Workforce Development Committee on Sept. 24 voted to direct staff to begin a review of San Antonio's procurement processes aimed at increasing supplier engagement, building vendor capacity and updating procurement procedures.

The review was presented by Troy Elliott, the city's chief financial officer, who told the committee the mayor asked the body to lead a review of procurement and report back to the full City Council no later than Oct. 1 with a proposed approach. Elliott said the procurement division runs roughly 400 procurements a year that exceed $50,000 and that fiscal year 2024 procurement awards totaled about $2.4 billion. "We have about a little less than 80 people in the procurement division," Elliott said during the briefing.

Why it matters: Council members said the review could affect how widely city contracts reach local and veteran-owned businesses and how quickly public works and projects are completed. Committee members asked staff to include clearer metrics and public-facing reporting on local impact as the review proceeds.

Details of the proposal and timeline: Elliott proposed work in three focus areas: supplier engagement (better notification and forecasts of solicitations, outreach and events), capacity building for prospective vendors (training on submission portals, insurance and bonding assistance) and a review of procurement processes tied to planned software and systems upgrades. Staff said they expect to present a FY2026 procurement forecast to the audit committee in November, a full-council B-session briefing in December, a deeper presentation in February and a comprehensive plan by July 2026. Elliott said the city is seeking an integrator for its SAP implementation and planning to upgrade Ariba procurement tools, and staff wish to incorporate system-built best practices rather than make immediate process changes.

Committee discussion and concerns: Committee members pressed for specific data to measure local impact, including how many solicitations draw only a single bidder and where awarded contractors operate and hire. Councilmember Galvan asked that labor trade unions be included among stakeholder groups; Elliott said staff would cast a broad net for stakeholders. Councilmember Spears said she would like to see metrics on who is being served and called out insurance and payment timing as barriers for small businesses.

Action taken: A committee member moved to authorize staff to proceed with the review incorporating the focus areas discussed in the meeting; the motion passed. The motion did not record a named mover or recorded roll-call votes in the committee minutes.

Next steps: Staff will prepare the procurement forecast and follow the timeline Elliott described, incorporate committee feedback on stakeholder engagement (including labor and veterans outreach), and return with more detailed proposals and metrics for committee and council review.