Office of Small Business Programs
The Office of Small Business Programs oversees programs designed to ensure fair business practices in West Palm Beach. We are dedicated to offering a variety of programs and resources to help empower local entrepreneurs of all stages.
We welcome participation from all business enterprises - large and small - new and established - traditional and innovative. More importantly, the City of West Palm Beach is dedicated to making sure our business partners reflect the nature and talents of our residential population. Learn about the City of West Palm Beach's upcoming solicitations by visiting the city's Procurement Department pages. And, be sure to check out our latest newsletter here(PDF, 268KB).
Opening Doors for Small Business
How to Respond to
Request for Proposals
(PDF, 2MB)
Many small businesses in the City of West Palm Beach miss great opportunities to bid and secure contracts for our multitude of government services and supplies simply because they don't know how to navigate through the bid process. This six-session program will help break those barriers and make you an informed bidder.
Register today for our six-session How to Respond to Request for Proposals.
Roseline Joseph, instructor and a class graduate, Frank Hayden, City of West Palm Beach Director of Small Business Programs, Donna Levengood, Procurement Official, and Request for Proposal (RFP) class facilitator Pamela Toussaint of Ultimate Image Coach, gather at the first of six sessions.
Small business is the backbone of America
Frank Hayden, West Palm Beach Director of Small Business Programs, explains why the City sponsors programs to help small businesses succeed and qualify for City contracts.
Donna Levengood, Procurement Official
Procurement is your avenue to government contracts. Get certified by the City and your small business can qualify to bid on City projects and contracts for services, supplies and more.
How to Respond to Requests for Proposals
Pamela Toussaint, Ultimate Image Coach, leads the program to help local small businesses navigate the requirements to submit bids.
Eager to learn the process
Pamela Toussaint, program instructor, leads the first of six sessions. She explains the step-by-step process required to qualify for City contracts.
Program instructor, Roseline Joseph
Roseline Joseph, learned her skills in an earlier How to Respond to RFP program. She is now an instructor helping small businesses learn the process.
Start Smart Financial Empowerment Series
Begins May 6, 2026
The City of West Palm Beach Office of Small Business Programs announces Start Smart: The Foundation Every Business Needs, a free three-part training experience designed to help all City-certified small businesses build strong financial systems, improve compliance, and scale with confidence.
While the series is open to all Small Businesses, the curriculum is highly optimized for construction, trades, and service-based industries. Owners will move from "feeling busy" to becoming truly profitable by mastering core frameworks such as CORE (Cost of Overhead Relative to Execution) and LEMO (Labor, Equipment, Materials, and Overhead) to ensure every job is priced for profit.
The sessions will begin on Wednesday, May 6, and continue on May, 13 and May 20. Each session will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at InclusiFi, 380 Columbia Drive, Suite 100.
Register here.
The Next Level Panel
May 4, 2026
Hosted by the Mayor's Office of Small Business Programs, The Leadership Haven Resource Center and Keen Ideas Consulting, the panel is a high-level after work leadership experience designed for business owners preparing to scale. Bringing together insight, alignment and connection in a space built for forward movement. Register to join us, May 4, 2026, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Mandel Public Library, 3rd floor auditorium, 411 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, 33401.
If you are ready to take your business to the next level, then reserve your place and register today by clicking here.
19th Annual Business Matchmaker Conference and Expo
Dignitaries cut the ribbon to open the 19th Annual Business MatchMaker Conference, Sept. 19, 2025, at the West Palm Beach Airport Hilton.
Dozens of West Palm Beach-area business owners and executives gathered at the West Palm Beach Airport Hilton Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, for the 19th Annual Business MatchMaker Conference.
More than 20 public and private exhibitors met with conference attendees to network and discuss opportunities available in the region.
Are you ready to do business?
Get Certified or Recertified
Government entities, like the City of West Palm Beach, want to do even more business with small businesses. In order to do so, business owners need to be certified.
New! Use these videos to help you learn how to get certified:
1. Watch the video below to learn more about the criteria for Small Business certification eligibility and the benefits of getting certified with the City of West Palm Beach.
Small Business Certification 101
2. Use the video below to learn how to submit your online application for Small Business Certification with West Palm Beach through the City's the PRISM certification portal. See the document attached to review what documents are required for certification based on your business structure.
How to Get Certified Step by Step
Access our online certification portal by clicking here. To start an application, click on "Let's Go" under "Certification."
For more information on the certification process, reach out to:
Laquoya Green
Certification Specialist
561-822-1286
lgreen@wpb.org
Benefits of Certification with West Palm Beach
Why should you get certified?
Answer #1: To bid more. Once your company is certified, you will receive notifications on projects that need your expertise. The more you know about upcoming projects, the more you can submit a competitive bid.
Answer #2: To be discovered. Prime contractors are always looking for qualified, reputable, certified businesses that could help them do the work. When you are certified, Prime contractors can discover you at networking events, informational meetings and in the government databases.
Answer #3: To network better. The City of West Palm Beach and other government agencies regularly hold networking events that you learn about if you are certified. You will receive newsletters, invitations and updates to learn about upcoming projects that need local business support.
Answer #4: To meet loan requirements. Special loan and grant programs are often made available to help local businesses recover from emergency circumstances, such as the pandemic. If you are certified, you will be eligible to apply for assistance.
Answer #5: To learn sooner. What are the plans to improve the City of West Palm Beach? Who are the new business leaders? When will these projects start happening? With certification comes access to answers to questions like these, which help shape the City's business landscape.
Apply for a Business Tax Receipt
A business tax receipt is a sign of approval from a local government that you paid a nominal fee to start your business.
A Local Business Tax is required of any individual, entity, business, or profession doing business within the City of West Palm Beach. This Tax is paid annually, based upon the fiscal year that runs October 1 through September 30. A Business Tax Receipt (or "BTR", formerly known as an Occupational License) is issued upon payment of the Business Tax. The Business Tax Receipt is valid for that one year.
Learn more about getting a Business Tax Receipt in West Palm Beach below.
Business Tax | WPB Development Services
Receive a free Guide to Doing Business with the City
In the Guide to Doing Business with the City, you'll find information that explains what your business will need and what steps you should take to becoming a certified vendor or contractor with the City of West Palm Beach. It includes resources on certifying with other agencies, how to find contract opportunities, and much more.
What's Inside the Guide:
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A directory of departments that are useful to businesses,
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A template you can use to organize your Business Plan,
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Instructions on how to apply for a Business Tax Receipt from the City of West Palm Beach,
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Applications and requirements for City Small Business Enterprise (SBE) certification
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How to find business opportunities online
To receive your free, digital copy, request via email at shammerstein@wpb.org or pick up a hard copy from the Office of Small Business Programs, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 401 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
Let's Talk Procurement Quarterly Newsletter
The Office of Small Business Programs produces a quarterly e-newsletter called "Let's Talk Procurement," which features Small Business Spotlights, upcoming events and programs, and the latest news from the City and its partners.
Let's Talk, November 2025 Edition(PDF, 1MB)
To get on the email distribution list to receive the "Let's Talk Procurement" e-letter, email Sandra Hammerstein at shammerstein@wpb.org and request to be added.
Learn about the Office of Small Business Programs
The Office of Small Business Programs sets goals on the participation of small-business enterprises within the City's Procurement system. To meet those goals, our team is responsible for the following:
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Setting standards and goals for City and Prime Contractors' usage of SBEs for sub-consultant and subcontractor participation on awarded contracts
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Educating business owners on the SBE certification process, so they can be informed of and included in solicitations for City contracts Assisting business owners with the certification process and collaborating with other government agencies on streamlining certification requirements
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Facilitating business relationships between and among Prime Contractors, certified SBEs, and new business enterprises
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Tracking payments and performing compliance checks of Prime Contractor usage of SBEs and reporting participation data for state, regional and federal agencies
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Issue Sheltered Market surveys and assign specific solicitations for Sheltered Market participation
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Establishing and tracking compliance on Sheltered Market opportunities for SBEs
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Eliminating barriers to equitable contract awards, increasing diversity among City contractors, and increasing the number of certified businesses qualified to bid City opportunities.
We are proud to have offered a variety of community-need informed programs and workshops to our small business enterprise community in the past, such as:
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The unique First Steps Grant Program, which presented awards to 43 West Palm Beach businesses
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Bonding Readiness & Technical Assistance Program
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Business Accelerator Bootcamp Entrepreneurship Training Program
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How To Respond to RFP’s Series
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And many more!
To learn more about the impact of Office of Small Business Programs, download the Outlook 2025 report(PDF, 5MB) .
Read the ordinances that govern our programs
Following are ordinances that govern the existing programs under the direction of the Office of Small Business Programs:
Contact Us
The Office of Small Business Programs
City Hall
401 Clematis Street
2nd Floor West Palm Beach, FL 33401
561-822-2104
shammerstein@wpb.org