The Metropolitan King County Council today called on the County Executive to study ways to increase the participation of small businesses working as contractors on County construction projects.

“King County is in the midst of a construction boom, and I want to make sure small businesses have opportunities to participate in the growth,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, who sits on the Council’s General Government and Labor Relations Committee. “King County’s pilot program to remove some of the challenges facing small business contractors has proven successful. It’s time to extend and expand that effort.”

“For many small businesses, an opportunity to bid and win a government contract can go a long way toward the survival of the company,” said Council Chair Larry Gossett, chair of the General Government Committee. “What these companies need is an idea of how the process works and how they can apply, something large enterprises take for granted. We are asking the Executive to see if there are ways to make sure the information they need is easily available and accessible.”

Local governments are recognizing the need to foster the formation and growth of small businesses. Companies with fewer than 100 employees make up 96 percent of all businesses in the Puget Sound area, and 60 percent of private sector employment is in small businesses. Over the last two years, King County has operated a pilot program, the Contracting Opportunities Program, to increase the opportunities available to small businesses. In March, the Council approved legislation establishing permanent guidelines for the Contracting Opportunities Program.

The motion approved today asks the executive to examine state law that restricts the County’s ability to operate programs that help open construction projects to bids from small- and medium-sized businesses. Results of that study could lead to action items for the County’s 2008 state legislative agenda.

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH System.
Type in “2007-0271”