Greensboro launches new SBE certification to boost small-business city contracts

Greensboro has opened a new certification path that could steer more city work toward small businesses in Guilford, Randolph and Rockingham counties. The Office of Business Opportunity says firms that qualify as Small Business Enterprises can use the program to raise their visibility with procurement staff, get direct notifications about bids and outreach events, and compete for future city contracts.

The program is more than a badge. Once certified, businesses may be added to the city’s Certified Vendor Directory, giving them a more direct route into trade-specific contracting opportunities. For local firms, that can matter in day-to-day purchasing decisions as well as larger jobs, from office services and maintenance to specialized subcontracting on public projects.

The city posted the launch announcement on May 1, 2026, and is framing the certification as a standing tool for future buying, not a one-time campaign. That gives Greensboro a way to broaden its vendor pool over time as the city purchases goods and services, and it gives smaller firms a clearer on-ramp into a procurement system that often favors companies with larger staffs, more paperwork capacity and deeper contract histories.

City officials will also hold a public outreach event, Building Relationships: Small Business Enterprise Program, on May 19 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Yvonne J. Johnson Event Center at Barber Park. The session is intended to connect businesses, contractors and service providers with the program and the contracting process behind it.

Greensboro’s move rests on a 2022 state law that authorized the city to establish a Small Business Enterprise program to promote small-business development and expand access to city contracts. Legislative summaries say the law allows Greensboro to set subcontracting goals and good-faith effort requirements, and to consider compliance when awarding contracts. A 2024 city presentation described the initiative as race- and gender-neutral and said Greensboro benchmarked programs in Charlotte, Durham, Cincinnati and Boston while shaping its own version.

That history suggests the certification is designed to be a procurement tool with staying power. The city has said that for certain opportunities, bidding will be restricted to certified SBEs, making the new program potentially important for small firms that want more than occasional subcontracting work and are looking for a durable foothold in Greensboro’s contract pipeline.