Phoenix (3TV/CBS 5) – The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has approved a new small business advocacy program that will focus on supporting local businesses with small employees to get the help they need to succeed in the modern economy.
More than 95 percent of businesses in Arizona have fewer than 100 employees, but residents of the county spend more than $750 million on goods, services and buildings. The goal of the new program is to help small and local businesses provide goods and services not covered by existing contracts to Maricopa County departments at a one-time estimated cost of less than $100,000, officials said.
“Part of what makes Maricopa County’s economy so successful is the thriving small businesses that provide entertainment, goods and services,” said District 3 Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates. Businesses will be able to certify within the county’s e-procurement platform, called “Periscope S2G,” meeting the following requirements to qualify for the program:
- Independently owned and operated
- Not dominant in this field
- run for more than a year
- Locations in or outside Maricopa County only, as long as the location accounts for at least 50% of sales or 50% of employees
- less than 100 employees
- Total annual revenue in the last fiscal year does not exceed $4 million
- All current county taxes
- In good standing with AZDOR and all other Arizona regulators
“Small businesses are the heart of Maricopa County’s economy, and I am confident that the actions taken by our Board of Supervisors will directly increase opportunities for small and local businesses and deliver good long-term outcomes for our economy,” Kevin Tyne said the Office of Procurement Services.
For more information, businesses should contact Sara Stafford at Sara.Stafford@Maricopa.gov
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