The Next Stop: METRO's Podcast Episode 40: Doing Business with METRO Shurronda Murray: Make sure you consider doing work with us. Do your homework. Look at our website. See what it is that we are buying and say, “Oh, okay. They need my service.” If you want to do business with us, we are here to help you learn how to do it, so you’re not just willing, but you’ll be able. Laura Whitley: I am Laura Whitley. On this edition of the Next Stop: How small businesses can learn to do business with METRO. [Introduction Music Plays] Laura Whitley: I am pleased now to welcome Shurronda Murray, who is the External Relations Officer from the Office of Small Business, to the Next Stop. Thanks for joining us. Shurronda Murray: Wow, thanks for having me! I am excited! Laura Whitley: And your excitement is one, you know, I spot and see all the time when you are really working with small business owners. You are really a wonderful pathway to the small business community to show them how to do business with METRO. Shurronda Murray: Absolutely! And I absolutely enjoy what I do. I get a pleasure out of letting them know that there are absolutely opportunities at Houston METRO for all industry. Laura Whitley: Give me a little bit of an overview of the Office of Small Business. What is it, and how does it partner and empower small business owners? Shurronda Murray: Alright. Well, thank you so very much for that. The Office of Small Business has three different components. We have the Outreach Component—Outreach and Business Development—which I am a part of that along with Alex Sandoval. We have the Certification Component, and then once you have landed an opportunity with METRO, we have what you call the Compliance Component in our small business program. And so, the purpose of our small business program is to make sure our small businesses or small businesses have a level playing field to do business with Houston METRO. Laura Whitley: Let’s go a little bit more into what are the opportunities, and how do business owners learn about it? You mentioned the Outreach part. What does that look like, and how does it work? Shurronda Murray: Alright. So, first of all, the very first step with doing business with METRO is whether a person is certified with us or not. It is number one: Going on to our procurement website and registering as a vendor with us. When you register as a vendor with us, you will automatically see opportunities in your particular industry as they hit the street, and so you will know that there are opportunities there. Now, one of my jobs in the Office of Small Business is I make sure I do an extra push, or we make sure we do an extra push with blasting out our opportunities as they come. And so, a lot of times, our small businesses are willing to do work with us, but they are not ready because they don’t know how to do business with Houston METRO, so we found that to be one of their issues. So, we have what you call the “Small Business University,” and in the Small Business University, we have all the how-to-do business with METRO, how to do business with our Procurement Department. We have workshops about $50,000 and under opportunities. We have workshops about our METRONext. We do the whole nine yards to prepare our small businesses on how to do business with us, how to find our opportunities. We even navigate them through the procurement system, showing how to make our website work for them, how they can find past opportunities. They can also see who is actually working with us, and we encourage them to reach out to them to let them know that they’re out there wanting to partner up with them. If it’s not on a METRO job, it could be on another job, but they see that they are applying at METRO. So, that’s one of the tools that we give them: The how to do business with us, and then we show them how. We give workshops on how to price your product, how to price a successful bid. So, we do our best with trying to assist them to get ready to work with us. Laura Whitley: Now, in terms of the Small Business University and then all of these different courses and offerings, you know, how, particularly now for the last, you know, 18 plus months that we’ve been dealing with COVID, that has changed and shifted a little bit, correct? Shurronda Murray: That is correct. But the good thing about that is METRO never skipped a beat. The Office of Small Business was up and running, along with Procurements, and when we left in March, of course, we didn’t have a couple of workshops, but starting April, we realized that we had to get back in the trenches. Laura Whitley: You’re talking about April 2020? Shurronda Murray: Yeah, April 2020. April 2020, we got back in the trenches with having workshops, and we found that our classes were filled. We had almost more—really more participants online than we did in person. So, today it is still working like that, and it is phenomenal. We get a lot of turnout online, and we get a lot of feedback that this is so helpful. Even through the season that we’re in, it’s still been working, and we’ve still been able to help our small businesses as if we were in-person teaching, talking, meeting one-on-one. We’re doing the same thing virtually, and it’s working. Laura Whitley: You mentioned all of these different courses. If I’m a small business owner, how do I find out, you know, which courses are being offered and sign up for them? Shurronda Murray: We have our website. On our website, the Office of Small Business, www.ridemetro.org, and you would go to the very bottom of the page, click on “Small Business,” and there you’ll find everything that we’re doing. You’ll find the workshops. You’ll find even how to register to get certified with us. You have the certification link. We talk about everything that’s going on in our Office of Small Business. So, those links are available. But our workshops are online, on our website, at www.ridemetro.org. Laura Whitley: You mentioned the certification a little bit, and I know that was one of the first pieces of advice you have for small businesses to get registered with METRO. What are some of the basic requirements that a business has to meet in order to qualify to get registered? Shurronda Murray: So, vendor registration and certifications are different. So, vendor registration, you can do that today, and we encourage that. We encourage that to be the first step. Now certification, we also encourage small businesses to get certified because the more certified small businesses we have in our database, the higher the goals can be placed on the contract giving that small business a better opportunity to do business with us. The certification, in order to be considered a METRO-certified small business, the owner’s personal net worth cannot exceed $1.32 million, and we have monthly classes talking about certifications, and so, $1.32 million is the cap. Anyone owning five (5%) percent or more ownership of the company cannot exceed $1.32 million, and that excludes the asset of the business. Laura Whitley: Understood. Understood. So, step one, you recommend is to as a vendor get registered, and that’s just somebody—let’s say I have an events planning business or something, you know, I can go register, and then you’re saying, I can go through the certification process. Shurronda Murray: Yes. Laura Whitley: Okay. Shurronda Murray: If you think that you’re certifiable and you’re a small business, we absolutely encourage that. And also, everything METRO does is free. METRO’s Office of Small Business and Certification is free. The vendor registration is free. The workshops are free. Everything we do at Houston METRO for our business community is absolutely free. Laura Whitley: And what’s really, I think, a service about this, not only does this help a business owner grow with METRO—it can also be extended, you know, throughout the business community, right? And there are some perks, I understand, for those businesses that do get certified—that METRO certification. Can you tell me about those? Shurronda Murray: Absolutely, Laura! Once certified with METRO, you have the opportunity to do business with other partners. We have partners in the community that are not certified agencies, so we certify for them, and those four agencies are Houston Community College, Houston First Corp Operation, Port Houston, and Fort Bend ISD. So, if there’s not an opportunity to do business with METRO, once you get certified, you can reach out to those four partners because they accept our certifications, and they also have programs similar to METRO’s. Laura Whitley: Once a business gets certified, and you know, they’re in the database, have gone through some of these courses and that type of thing, how does it work then when, you know, METRONext is coming up, and so, there’s all of these different projects that are coming up and, you know, there’ll be, I know, a main contractor or companies that are chosen. How does that relationship then work with these smaller businesses for these large projects? Shurronda Murray: So, thank you for asking that question, Laura. One of the perks with getting certified, as Laura asked earlier, is we have a database. Once you get certified, you’re put into a database where our applying contractors can go and look you up. Even if they don’t know your name, they can look up an industry. So, let’s say, we have a construction contract out there for $400,000 or even $1 million, and there is a thirty-five (35%) percent small business goal, and we have a prime contractor saying, “Well, I don’t know where to find a small business contractor to do abatement or to do concrete or whatever I may need help with.” And so, we don’t give them specific names, but we direct them to the directory and say, “Here is a list that has all of our certified small businesses. You can put in the word ‘construction.’ You can put in the word, ‘concrete.’ You can put in the word, ‘flooring.’ And those small businesses that do provide that type of service, their names will automatically pop up.” So, that’s one way. That’s a plus with getting certified with us. You’re in a database where prime contractors have access to you. Laura Whitley: And in that response, you mentioned something that I want to highlight, because those of us who aren’t in the business world or contracts and all that, don’t really probably play that close attention or know to spot it, but you mentioned something about “thirty-five (35%) percent small business goal.” Can you tell me a little bit about that commitment that METRO has for its contracts and what that thirty-five (35%) percent small business goal means in practical terms? Shurronda Murray: On most of METRO’s eligible contracts, we have a thirty-five (35%) percent small business goal, and in the beginning, I talked about that level playing field. We put that goal on eligible contracts to help small businesses be able to have an opportunity to do work with us. If not at the prime level, because we know that most of our small businesses may not be able to prime the contract, but they can definitely meet that small business goal on that contract. So, once there is a goal on a contract, it’s no “good-faith effort.” It’s “I tried to reach somebody and couldn’t”—no. If there is a goal on the contract, that’s the best part about our program. Your solicitation will not be moved forward if you did not identify who you were going to use to meet that small business goal. If you did not identify a METRO-certified small business or a DBE, your solicitation will be deemed non-responsive. We’re that serious about utilizing our small businesses, as well as making sure that thirty-five (35%) percent small business goal is being met. Laura Whitley: Understood. So, in real simple terms, if there is, let’s say, a $1 million contract, and Company A is the prime contract provider, then that company is required to utilize services for thirty-five (35%) percent of that total contract to meet the terms with METRO. Shurronda Murray: Correct! That prime contractor has a $1 million contract. Thirty-five (35%) percent of his or her million dollars has to go to a small business. Laura Whitley: Wow! That is about leveling the playing field! Shurronda Murray: Yes! Laura Whitley: Absolutely, yeah! And so, when we’re again looking at all these projects that are coming down the road with METRONext, it really sounds like there is some exciting opportunity on the horizon for so many small businesses in our community. Shurronda Murray: Absolutely! And so, that’s why we are encouraging our small businesses to stay connected with METRO. Opportunities are about to hit the street. Believe it or not, we’ve had several METRONext contracting opportunities, starting with our BOOST program, and what that means is that we were making sure all of our bus stops were wheelchair-level accessible. Laura Whitley: ADA complaint. Shurronda Murray: ADA compliant, thank you. And so, we had a lot of that going on in 2020. Laura Whitley: I get it. And I think one of the things too when we’re thinking about like what type of business should consider being involved, is there a specific type? I mean, I know METRO’s kind of like—there’s all kinds of things METRO needs, right? Shurronda Murray: Absolutely! Just think about it. Whatever your home needs, that’s what METRO needs. We need coffee. We need tissue paper. We need paper. Anything a home needs, we need. But we do operate in four different industries, and those industries are construction, professional service, general services, supplies and equipment. And then, I said four, but in professional service, A&E is inclusive. And so, those are the four main categories that we do work in. So, if you’re a small business listening, and you have service in any of those categories—professional service, general service, A&E, construction, supplies and equipment—make sure you consider doing work with us. Do your homework. Look at our website. See what it is that we are buying and say, “Oh, okay. They need my service.” And I will say this a lot of times—and I will always say this because I got it from Kimberly Williams, one of our past leaders in the Office of Small Business, and she would always say, “Doing work with METRO is not a sprint. It’s a marathon.” But once you learn how to play and you run, and you run, and you win one race, you’re in there for the long haul. So, don’t give up. We have a lot of success stories, and I often tell one. That we had one person would—before I started working in METRO’s Office of Small Business, I thought this woman worked for METRO. But she didn’t. She was a small business. Because she was always on the floor, always there, and then one meeting I was in, I saw her stand with the small businesses, I had to do a double-take. And needless to say, it took her about 100 knocks on the door, but that 101 knock, she landed a $1 million contract with us. Laura Whitley: Wow! Shurronda Murray: And that’s a fact! So, don’t give up. Stay the course. If you want to do business with us, we are here to help you learn how to do it, so you’re not just willing, but you’ll be able. Laura Whitley: Well, Shurronda Murray, External Relations Officer from the Office of Small Business at METRO, thank you so much for that information and being with the Next Stop today. Shurronda Murray: Alright. It was a pleasure. Thank you, Laura. [Music plays] Laura Whitley: That’s all for this edition of the Next Stop. I’m Laura Whitley. If you’d like to check out more episodes, you can find them on our website or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, or Google Play. And, if you could please do us a favor and leave a rating or review, it’ll help us out a lot. Until next time, drive less, do more with METRO. [Music plays]