(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled the Fiscal Year 2024 Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Opportunity Guide, known as the Green Book, and announced a record-breaking spending goal of $1.2 billion. The Green Book assists SBEs in securing contracts from District agencies by providing business owners with an overview of available opportunities to do business with District government and information on how to pursue them.

“The Green Book is one of our best tools for leveraging the District’s procurement power to support and grow local businesses. When local businesses get a fair shot, our residents get a fair shot too. Local businesses hire DC residents, grow DC neighborhoods, and represent DC’s values and culture,” said Mayor Bowser. “We want businesses to check out the Green Book, work with DSLBD to get their certifications, and then find and go after their fair shot.”

The Green Book was created by Mayor Bowser in 2015 with an initial goal of spending $317 million on procurement opportunities for local businesses. Since then, the Bowser Administration has expanded opportunities for SBEs to secure District government contracts and, for the past three fiscal years, set a goal of over $1.1 billion in spending. SBE is a designation of the Department of Small and Local Business Development’s (DSLBD) Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) program that gives certified businesses procurement preference when bidding on District Government contracts.

“The CBE program represents a monumental stepping stone for small businesses, particularly in our city's vibrant heart, Downtown,” said Rosemary Suggs Evans, Interim DSLBD Director. “I encourage all eligible entrepreneurs to apply for CBE certification, explore the Green Book, and access the resources and procurement opportunities available.”

One way DSLBD makes the Green Book, and the opportunities listed within it, more accessible to local businesses is through the SmallBiz Assist program. SmallBiz Assist offers one-on-one meetings for DC-based entrepreneurs and businesses to learn more about DSLBD’s programs and support. Meetings are available at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Wednesdays. During the meetings, the DSLBD Business Opportunities division can provide additional support to CBEs as they explore the benefits of certification. Entrepreneurs can learn more about this program and schedule a meeting at dslbd.dc.gov/smallbizassist.

For the fourth year in a row, SBEs can search for opportunities in real-time using GreenBookDC.com, the program’s dedicated website and interactive tool. The site brings spending data from the Green Book to life and allows businesses to sort opportunities by District agency and product category.

The Green Book compiles essential data from meticulous reviews of agency waivers and special exceptions, empowering SBEs with actionable intelligence for opportunities that match their offerings. SBEs can navigate industry-specific opportunities and access comprehensive agency-by-agency summaries of spending forecasts.

To discover the latest procurement opportunities and interact with the District Spend Data Dashboard, visit greenbookdc.com. 
 

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