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Metro is seeking feedback from small businesses about the challenges and barriers they experience in the agency’s bidding and procurement process. An online survey will be available through Nov. 30. Survey results will guide Metro’s future small business procurement efforts.

Metro has an extensive policy related to contracting equity, Metro spokeswoman Kimberlee Ables stated in an email.

According to Metro’s website, the regional government awards millions of dollars in contracts for products and services every year and actively solicits bids and proposals from businesses that are certified by Oregon’s Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID).

Ables stated that last year, of $65 million in total Metro contracts awarded, $25 million went to COBID-certified firms. Of those awards, 20 percent went to minority-owned businesses, 59 percent to woman-owned businesses, and 21 percent to emerging small businesses.

Meanwhile, Metro’s finance team runs a small business training program that provides proposal writing training with COBID-certified small business consultants; bid writing training with NAMC-Oregon, Professional Business Development Group and LatinoBuilt as well as a COBID-certified bid writing consultant; and workshops where small firms can team up and submit proposals for large Metro projects. The finance team also participates in regular outreach meetings with the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, NAMC-Oregon, Professional Business Development Group, Northwest Native Chamber, and others.

This week and next week, Metro is conducting virtual meet and greets during which small businesses can meet procurement staffers and check out contracting opportunities.

The survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MetroSmallBiz.