Texas Border Business
Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension is proud to announce its first government contracting academy, B.I.D. (Business in Development) in the Rio Grande Valley. The Community and Economic Development (CED) Unit of the Cooperative Extension Program at Prairie View A&M University created The B.I.D. Academy, a 7-week curriculum-based program to focus on increasing the community’s knowledge and skills that are necessary to compete and win state government contracts with the State of Texas HUB (Historically Underutilized Business) certification. In many instances, “limited-resource clients are first-generation business owners may lack the training and knowledge necessary to market, bid, and win state/county contracts,” says CED Willacy County Agent Megan Rodriguez.
CED Hidalgo County Agent Rina Castillo shares, “There are over 200 state agencies in Texas and all of them, including universities, are required to make a good-faith effort to include HUB certified vendors in their procurement opportunities. That is why the B.I.D. Academy is so important for small businesses to get the necessary knowledge on how to get HUB certified and how to use their new HUB certification.”
The B.I.D. Academy kicked off Wednesday, May 4 at the First National Bank in Mercedes Texas. The program is 7 weeks, every Wednesday from 6-7:30PM and will end Wednesday June 15 with a graduation/mixer. The Academy will be hybrid, starting with an in person following with virtual classes and ending with 3 in person classes. Upon program completion, participants became certified by The Community & Economic Development Unit of the Cooperative Extension Program at Prairie View A&M University and included on their exclusive list of trained vendors as well as free business marketing through their various multimedia outlets and network of State purchasers.
Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Everyone is welcome to attend. Sign up for our 2022 B.I.D. Academy https://bit.ly/RGVBIDACADEMY22
If you have any questions, contact Rina Castillo 956-383-1026 or Megan Rodriguez 956-689-2412.
B.I.D. Academy’s weekly sessions:
Session 1 IN PERSON (Wednesday, May 4) Historically Underutilized Business Overview/Navigating the new Comptroller’s website.
Session 2 Virtual (Wednesday, May 11) Business Planning/Marketing, Capability Statements
Session 3 Virtual (Wednesday, May 18) Keep Your Books: Basics Bookkeeping
Session 4 Virtual (Wednesday, May 25) Pitch Writing
Session 5 IN PERSON (Wednesday, June 1) Access to Alternative Capital
Session 6 IN PERSON (Wednesday, June 8) Supplier Diversity, Subcontracting Plans & Proposals
Session 7 IN PERSON (Wednesday, June 15) Graduation/Pitch Contest/Mixer
