The Office of Business Opportunity is responsible for the Small/Minority/Women Owned Business Enterprise (S/MWBE) Program and the Pay or Play (POP) Program for Houston Public Works (HPW). Our goal is to improve the growth of small, minority, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises by encouraging their participation in all phases of procurement activities and by affording them a full and fair opportunity to compete for all City contracts. 

Services We Provide:

• Assistance with locating contract opportunities in HPW.

• Coordinate meetings with department representatives, primes and subcontractors.

• Provide education and outreach opportunities using business events and meetings.

• Serve as an MWDBE/SBE advocate in HPW.  

Contract and Procurement Opportunities:

HPW is one of the largest departments in the City of Houston and provides many of the basic services Houston citizens rely on daily. Examples of these services include the planning and engineering of the city infrastructure, production and distribution of drinking water, the treatment of wastewater, street and bridge maintenance and much more. Providing for these services allows us to have ample opportunity for small and minority businesses.

Public Works Contract Areas:

• Professional Service Contracts

• Construction Contracts

• Supply and Non-Professional Service Contracts

Contract Examples:

Professional Service - Engineering and architecture services; environmental consulting; construction management; construction materials testing.

Construction - Underground utilities; excavation; site clearing; electrical; sidewalks; waterline repairs; traffic signs; lift stations; street overlays; street reconstruction.

Non-Professional Services - IT, HVAC; grounds maintenance; janitorial; plumbing; electrical; fence repair; graffiti removal; facility maintenance.

Supply - Building materials; vehicles; fire hydrants; traffic control devices; chemicals; paints and solvents; rubber goods; uniforms; hand tools; office furniture and supplies; safety equipment.

For more information regarding non-professional service or supply contracts contact:

Latania Mena at 832-395-2463

Construction Contracts:

• Construction contracts are advertised for bid, in the Notice to Bidder section of the Houston Business Journal, every Friday.

• All bid advertisement will include pre-bid conference details for all contractors interested in learning more about the projects up for bid.

• All MWDBE/SBE's are encouraged to attend the pre-bid conferences where you will have the opportunity to market your services and form potential business partnerships with attending prime contractors.

Supply and Non-Professional Service Contracts:

• Supply and Non-Professional Service Contracts are solicited in two ways: formal and informal bids.

• A schedule of pre-bid conferences can be found on the City's Strategic Purchasing Division web site at https://purchasing.houstontx.gov/index.html.  

• Formal bids- solicitation for goods and services valued over $50,000.

• Advertised for two consecutive weeks in the Houston Business Journal

• On the bid due date, the bid is publicly read by the City Secretary in the Council Chambers and is awarded by recommendation from the bid department to council. 

• Informal bids - Solicitation for goods and services valued at $50,000 or less.

Professional Service Contracts:

• The Houston Public Works Department solicits professional services through the Request for Qualifications (RFQ’s). 

• To be considered for evaluation, vendors must be registered on our Vendor Portal.

• Attend the Yearly Forecast Meeting to stay informed of new projects.