Strengthening Vendor Engagement to Better Support Women and Minority-Owned Businesses in Buffalo, NY

The Challenge 

Seeking to address a long history of disinvestment in minority communities, the City of Buffalo is focused on building capacity and increasing opportunities for diverse and minority businesses to participate in City contracting. Staff wanted to hear directly from women and minority-owned businesses on the challenges of doing business with the City and what the City could do to address those challenges.

The Project

With support from the GPL, the City of Buffalo launched a business engagement survey to better understand the vendor experience and collect suggestions for how they could more effectively and equitably purchase goods and services. The survey will reach up to 3,000 vendors and determine the best ways to support women- and/or minority-owned businesses in the public procurement process.

The Innovation

Although survey data has not yet been analyzed, the vendor engagement survey will equip the City to better support women- and minority-owned businesses to bid for government contracts. In the long term, project partners hope that small and diverse businesses in Buffalo will grow as a result of participating in public contracting opportunities.

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