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Mayor Bowser Releases FY20 Green Book with a $910 Million Small Business Spending Goal by District Government Agencies

Monday, November 25, 2019

For Fifth Straight Year, Mayor Builds on Commitment to Support DC Small Businesses with Increase in DC Government Spending

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a goal of $910 million for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) to be spent on Small Business Enterprises (SBEs). The release of the SBE Opportunity Guide for Fiscal Year 2020 – also known as the “Green Book” – provides a comprehensive look at the spending goals for District agencies and outlines resources to increase access to procurement opportunities. In FY19, the Bowser Administration committed to spend $844 million with SBEs and exceeded that goal by spending more than $890 million.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy because they hire local and spend local. My Administration is committed to connecting our local entrepreneurs with every available opportunity to work with DC Government,” said Mayor Bowser. “This year’s Green Book and the FY20 SBE spending goal may be the most ambitious to date, but I know that District Agencies and our regional partners are more determined than ever support our small business community and keep our local economy thriving.”

The Green Book assists SBEs in navigating the local government procurement process by providing an agency-by-agency overview of SBE spending availability. Additionally, the online platform, CBE Connect, allows SBEs to search for opportunities in real time while helping streamline and personalize the interactions professionals and business owners have with DC’s regulatory and support agencies, thus making it easier for entrepreneurs to start, grow and maintain local businesses. 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 District Government contracts.

“As Mayor Bowser has excitedly exclaimed in recent weeks, ‘Washington is winning!’ And, at DSLBD we remain laser-focused on finding new and innovative ways to make sure that the District’s small business community is also winning,” said DSLBD Director Kristi Whitfield. “The Green Book levels the playing field for District CBEs of all shapes and sizes, and I am proud to help carry out Mayor Bowser’s vision of helping put our local business community in a position where they too can win in whatever they do and on whatever field they play.”

The FY20 expendable budget for District Government agencies is $1.8 billion, of which at least 50%, or $910 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.

View the FY20 Green Book and spending goals online: business.dc.gov.