CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The City of Corpus Christi is looking to keep money local by hiring more area businesses.
To make that easier, City Council is taking a new approach to finding and working with vendors who are already set up in the Sparkling City by the Sea.
You’ve likely heard the phrase “Shop Local,” encouraging you to deal with businesses and to buy goods from people here at home. The idea is to give entrepreneurs throughout the Coastal Bend a fighting chance to compete with big companies.
The City of Corpus Christi is adopting that mindset as well.
It’s called a “local preference" policy, and according to City leaders, it is a first for Corpus Christi. The recently approved ordinance will give local businesses a better chance at securing contracts with the City when it comes to a variety of work that needs to be done.
According to the City’s Director of Finance Heather Hurlbert, there has always been an emphasis on engaging local vendors, but there has never been a tool to help do that until now.
“There are certain criteria that the vendor will have to meet, whether it be expertise, experience, or capacity," Hurlbert said. "And now, under this new ordinance, they are able to get extra points – up to 10 points out of 100 – for being a local business.”
Part of the intent is to help reward those who are already in the city, paying property taxes and providing jobs that help boost the local economy; but our City government also benefits from using local providers where it is allowed by State statute.
“If you have somebody whose shop is here versus someone who is located in, say, San Antonio, they’re going to have a faster response time. They may be more familiar with the city and with the different parts of the city," Hurlbert said. "And so they bring some different knowledge to the table versus a business who is coming from out of town.”
As to what kind of jobs are available for bid, they run the gamut. A quick look at the City’s website shows a procurement forecast that includes the need for locksmith, electrical and plumbing services, as well as landscape, computer and IT work.
The ordinance is not about sacrificing competence just to keep it in the community. It’s about having a way to find both.
If you want to sign-up your business to be notified whenever the city is looking for a job to be done in your area of expertise, click here.
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