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Mayor Bowser Releases FY19 Green Book, Announces a $188 Million Increase to Small Business Spending Goals by District

Monday, November 19, 2018
In Fiscal Year 2019’s Small Business Opportunity Guide, the “Green Book,” Mayor Bowser Showcases Her Commitment to Helping Small Businesses Navigate the Local Government Procurement Process

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a goal of $844 million for Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) to be spent on Small Business Enterprises (SBEs). The release of the SBE Opportunity Guide for FY19, also known as the “Green Book”, provides agency-by-agency details on how small businesses can connect to opportunities within the District Government and provides assistance on accessing resources they need to succeed. In FY18, the Bowser Administration committed to spend $656 million with SBEs and surpassed that goal by spending more than $814 million with SBEs – more than any previous year. Accordingly, Mayor Bowser has this year increased that the spending goal by $188 million over FY18’s target.

“At the start of my Administration, I promised that we would do more to support our Small Business Enterprise community by better utilizing our procurement power to connect small businesses to government opportunities,” said Mayor Bowser. “Today, we are re-envisioning the way we approach procurement by setting ambitious goals, providing tools to help our small businesses can succeed, continuing to create pathways to the middle class, and creating an environment where District businesses can start, thrive, and grow.”

SBE is a certification category, which is part of the DC Government’s Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) program, that gives certified businesses a preference when bidding on DC Government contracts. The Green Book assists SBEs in navigating the local government procurement process by providing an agency-by-agency overview of SBE spending availability, and the online platform, CBE Connect, allows SBEs to search for opportunities in real time. The platform helps streamline and personalize the interactions professionals and business owners have with DC’s regulatory and support agencies making it easier for entrepreneurs to start, grow, and maintain local businesses.

The FY19 expendable budget for District Government agencies is $1.7 billion, of which at least 50 percent, or $844 million, must be spent with SBEs. This ambitious but attainable spending goal is the result of an improved goal-setting process adopted by the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) following a top-to-bottom, data-driven analysis of past practices and agency budgets.

The Bowser Administration is committed to better utilizing local procurement power to drive small business creation, growth, and retention, and holding District government agencies accountable to meet their spending goals. View the FY19 Green Book: SBE Opportunity Guide at business.dc.gov.