Contra Costa County values the contributions of small businesses in the County and has developed programs to assist in the solicitation and awarding of contracts. The Board of Supervisors has adopted these programs to enable small and local businesses to compete for a share of the County's purchasing transactions.
The Board of Supervisors has set a goal of awarding at least 50% of eligible product and service dollars to small businesses. The Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Program applies to: (1) county-funded construction contracts of $100,000 or less; (2) purchasing transactions of $100,000 or less; and (3) professional/personal service contracts of $100,000 or less. Businesses included under these programs include:
The SBE Programs' objective is to have at least 50% or more of the total eligible dollar base amounts be awarded to SBEs. For Contra Costa County's Small Business Enterprise Program, an SBE is an eligible Small Business Enterprise, as defined by the California Government Code, Section 14837, Chapter 3.5 must be:
- Independently owned and operated business, which is not dominant in its field of operation
- Principal office of which is located in California
- Officers of which are domiciled in California, and which together with affiliates, have 100 or fewer employees
- Average annual gross receipts of fourteen million dollars ($14,000,000) or less over the previous three tax years, or a manufacturer with 100 or fewer employees