The San Antonio Economic and Workforce Development Committee meeting on May 27, 2025, spotlighted a significant push towards enhancing the city’s supplier engagement strategy, aimed at boosting local businesses' participation in city contracts. Assistant Director Anna Bradshaw presented a comprehensive overview of the strategy, emphasizing the need for a more holistic approach to support small and minority-owned businesses.

Bradshaw highlighted the challenges faced by the Mentor Protege program, which has been in place for nearly 15 years but is now experiencing a backlog of participants due to a shortage of mentors. She noted that while the program has been successful, it requires updates to better reflect current economic conditions and the needs of participants.

The meeting also addressed the recently concluded pilot program for capacity building and bonding assistance, which aimed to help contractors meet city bonding requirements. Although the program saw a sevenfold increase in bonding capacity among participants, the actual success in securing city contracts was lacking, prompting a need for further analysis of barriers that still exist.

Key components of the new supplier engagement strategy include improved outreach and engagement with local vendors, tailored supplier development programs, and the continuation of preference programs that support local and veteran-owned businesses. The committee aims to implement these strategies by July 1, 2025, with a focus on increasing competition and enhancing the quality of services provided to the city.

The meeting concluded with a warm welcome to Ivan Suarez, the newest member of the economic development team, who will play a crucial role in the implementation of these initiatives. The committee expressed optimism about the potential impact of these strategies on San Antonio's economy, particularly in fostering a more inclusive environment for small businesses.