West Palm Beach codifies S/M/WBE contracting requirement

FL News - Published Feb 20, 2025

The City Commission for West Palm Beach has approved an ordinance which makes certain updates to the procedures of the City's Office of Small and Minority Business Programs (OSMB). The ordinance update codifies a policy that the Commission had adopted in 2020.

Updates made by the newly-approved ordinance include, most notably, requiring at least 18 percent of City contract work in the fields of construction and master contracts to be awarded to small businesses. Before the approval of the ordinance, the 18 percent figure had been stated as a goal rather than a requirement. The ordinance also gives the OSMB the authority to adjust this goal as needed based on market conditions.

The ordinance makes a number of other changes, including updating the name of the OSMB in the law (it had been referred to in some passages as the "Office of Economic Opportunity", its previous name). The ordinance also brings the size standards for businesses to be considered a "small business" into line with the standards maintained by the County of Palm Beach (available at https://discover.pbc.gov/oebo/Pages/Certification-Program.aspx), which made its own changes after a recent market analysis.
 
Read a press release from the City, with a link to the agenda for the relevant City Commission meeting, at https://www.wpb.org/News-Folder/News-2025/020425-Mayor-CC-CRA-Approvals.