Charlotte replaces MWBE program with SBE program

NC News - Published Sep 01, 2026

Charlotte city officials, speaking at a recent City Council meeting, have outlined a plan to eliminate provisions relating encouraging participation of minority- and woman-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) in City contracting, and shift to an existing race- and gender-neutral small business enterprise (SBE) program instead.

The shift follows the passage of Senate Bill 257 in the state legislature, a budget bill which outlawed state agencies and local governments from setting race- and gender-conscious contracting goals (the law also forced the closure of the state's Historically Underutilized Business program).

In response, the City has shifted to prioritizing its small business program, which offers businesses City certifications and sets small business participation goals on City contracts, in a manner similar to the previous MWBE program, on a race- and gender-neutral basis. Many MWBEs were already dual-certified as SBEs, and the City counted 805 total certified SBEs recently, and projected that another 625 firms that were previously solely certified as MWBEs might be eligible for SBE certification.

The City plans to perform outreach and engagement activities as part of future efforts to spread awareness of the SBE program and to encourage eligible businesses to apply for certification.

Read the presentation offered by City officials to the City Council at https://charlottenc.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15739656&GUID=9D8B055F-838E-4E2B-A4D6-603F37CC5CC9.

Find the City's new small business enterprise program at https://www.charlottenc.gov/City-Government/Departments/Contracting-and-Procurement/CBI/Get-Small-Business-Certified.