Mercer County has launched a new training initiative designed to help smaller firms compete for public contracts, a market that can offer steady work but is often difficult for newcomers to penetrate.
County Executive Dan Benson unveiled the Procurement Readiness & Empowerment Program on May 4, in partnership with the New Jersey Small Business Development Center at The College of New Jersey. The four-week course is intended to help local companies better understand the coun...
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ty and state bidding process, with sessions running through May in a mix of in-person and online formats.
Officials say the programme is meant to tackle practical barriers that commonly prevent small businesses from winning work, including certification requirements, preparing capability statements, reading bid documents and responding effectively to requests for proposals. Rather than focusing on theory, the training is aimed at giving participants tools they can put to use immediately.
Benson said the effort is intended to make government work more accessible to local firms. Lilian Mauro, regional director of the Small Business Development Center, said the initiative is also about building a stronger pipeline of qualified vendors ready to compete and grow.
The launch comes against a wider backdrop of concern over who benefits from public procurement. NJBIZ has previously reported on a 2024 statewide disparity study that found statistically significant gaps in contract awards to minority-owned and women-owned businesses, underscoring the challenges many firms still face in accessing government spending.
Mercer County officials say the new programme is meant to broaden participation, particularly among small, minority-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses that have historically been underrepresented in public contracting. The county’s official contracting resources are already geared towards helping firms navigate procurement requirements, while the college’s business development centre offers no-cost counselling, training and other support for local entrepreneurs.
The programme’s weekly sessions are scheduled for May 7, 14, 21 and 28. Space is limited, and county officials are encouraging early registration.
Source: Noah Wire Services
