Rebuild kicks off an eight-week training program for its third cohort of small, diverse Philadelphia businesses
PHILADELPHIA — Today Rebuild Executive Director Kira Strong will join The Enterprise Center and Surety Bond Associates to welcome twenty small, diverse Philadelphia businesses to the opening session of the first Rebuild Ready training program of 2020. The twenty Philadelphia-based design and construction businesses will gain specific skills to bid for and win work on Rebuild projects. Made possible by the Philadelphia Beverage Tax, Rebuild is the City’s historic investment of hundreds of millions of dollars to improve neighborhood parks, recreation centers, and libraries.
Since its launch in May 2019, 43 local businesses have graduated from Rebuild Ready with specific skills to compete for public works contracts. Rebuild Ready, delivered in partnership with The Enterprise Center and Surety Bond Associates, provides technical assistance focused on various areas of business management in the construction industry, including:
- Estimating, bid preparation, and contract negotiation
- Business planning
- Capital access
- Cash flow management
- Finance and accounting
- Project management
- Risk management
- Legal
- Human Resources
“There is an incredibly talented pool of small, diverse contractors in Philadelphia,” said Rebuild Executive Director Kira Strong. “As Rebuild looks to expand the number of minority and women contractors working with the City, it is incumbent on us to encourage more small businesses to consider bidding for Rebuild contracts. Rebuild Ready offers diverse Philadelphia firms the specific skills they need to bid for and win work on Rebuild and other City contracts.”
As recently reported in 2019 Rebuild By the Numbers, Rebuild is currently on track to meet or exceed its contract and workforce participation goals. Rebuild’s inclusion and diversity goals are amongst the most ambitious in the City and include a target of 25-30% of professional services contracts go to minorities, and 15-20% goes to women. For construction contracts, the goal is 30-35% of spending goes to minority firms, and 15-20% to women-owned businesses.
Rebuild Ready is one of two free business support programs available to diverse local businesses. The Emerging Vendors program allows previously uncertified minority- or women-owned businesses to count toward participation goals on Rebuild projects while working toward certification. Participants have access to free support in obtaining certification. Currently, there are 18 M/WBEs in the program, with new applications processed regularly.
Both Rebuild Ready and the Emerging Vendors Program were designed in partnership with the Department of Commerce Office of Economic Opportunity to address the barriers that make it difficult for small, diverse businesses to work on public works projects.
Businesses can sign up for Rebuild Ready here.
To learn more, visit rebuild.phila.gov.
Rebuilding Community Infrastructure (Rebuild) is an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in neighborhood parks, recreation centers, and libraries. Proposed in Mayor Jim Kenney’s first budget as part of his vision for a more equitable Philadelphia, Rebuild seeks to improve pivotal community spaces, empower and engage communities, and promote economic opportunity through diversity and inclusion. Rebuild is a public-private partnership made possible by the Philadelphia Beverage Tax.