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Council backs new open-solicitation model for small-business support, shifts some contracts into SBSS NDA
Summary
County staff outlined a new open-solicitation approach for business support services (cohorts, enrichment, coaching) and the committee agreed to shift economic-development contracts into the Small Business Support Services NDA while placing a $77,836 non-economic recharacterization on the reconciliation list for clarification.
The Economic Development Committee on May 1 reviewed a restructured approach to small-business support that moves legacy sole-source contracts into an open-solicitation model intended to increase competition, geographic reach and reporting consistency for cohort training, business-enrichment events and consulting services.
Business Center staff described an open-solicitation framework that prequalifies vendors to deliver a menu of services (cohort training, coaching, marketing, accounting/legal assistance) and then issues task orders throughout the year. The model is designed to broaden access to county-funded services, standardize pre/post reporting and allow quarterly adjustments based on regional need. "We're pivoting from the legacy sole source contracts into a more competitive open solicitation to ensure that we have the highest return of investment," the Business Center manager said.
Council members asked about capacity, anti-duplication tracking and metrics of success. Staff said eight organizations had prequalified so far (including chambers and four organizations new to county funding) and that providers will be reimbursed after delivering services and submitting standardized participant reports. Staff committed to pre/post surveys, annual reporting and quarterly feedback loops with regional directors.
The committee also discussed a budget recharacterization: shifting several economic-development contracts into the SBSS NDA and moving $77,836 that is not economic-development related onto the reconciliation list for full-council review. Members requested clearer budget pages and a reconciliation note that specifies which positions are currently filled and how FTEs are being recharacterized from the incubator NDA into business-liaison roles. The committee asked staff to provide a calendar of task orders and to confirm no carryover of contract balances is projected into FY27.
What happens next: Staff will finalize procurement materials, publish the open solicitation, provide the requested calendar and reporting metrics, and bring the reconciliation list items and FTE recharacterizations to the full council for final action.
