Indiana Governor Mike Braun today announced the launch of the Indiana Small Business Program to strengthen the Hoosier small business environment and to promote and facilitate the participation of Indiana small businesses in state procurement.
The program will provide greater opportunities for qualified Indiana small businesses to compete for state purchases and will increase the volume of state goods and services procured from Indiana-based small businesses.
“Indiana’s small businesses are the engine of the Hoosier economy, and we are committed to supporting their continued growth and success,” said Gov. Mike Braun. “Small businesses are ready to do business with the state, and we are making that easier than ever.”
*Click here to watch a video of Gov. Braun taking about the small business program.*
Through expansion of the existing Buy Indiana program, more Indiana businesses will qualify to receive points in the procurement process.
“State procurement can be a valuable pathway to growth for Indiana’s small and entrepreneurial businesses, and creating meaningful access to those contracting opportunities can help more of them compete,” said Vanessa Green Sinders, president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. “As the new program is implemented, the Indiana Chamber looks forward to working with the administration and business community to evaluate how it is working in practice and help ensure the experiences of Indiana businesses inform its continued development.”
“This program gives the state an opportunity to strengthen participation by Indiana small businesses while maintaining the competition and accountability that are essential to responsible procurement,” said Lisa Hershman, Indiana Secretary of Management and Budget. “Our focus is on creating a program that is practical for businesses, workable for agencies, and delivers value for Hoosier taxpayers.”
To participate in the program, a business must generate no more than $10 million in annual gross receipts averaged over the last two years and must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Be registered as a domestic business with the Indiana Secretary of State.
- Pay a majority of its payroll, in dollar volume, to Indiana residents.
- Employ Indiana residents as a majority of its employees.
- Make significant capital investments in Indiana.
In addition to connecting qualified small businesses with state procurement opportunities through Buy Indiana, the state will provide technical assistance, training and programming to help participating businesses better understand the state procurement process and strengthen their ability to compete for state contracts.
Gov. Braun announced in July that Indiana will end race- and sex-based contracting preferences following a legal opinion from Attorney General Todd Rokita finding race- and sex-based contracting preferences in the M/WBE components of Indiana’s Diversity Business Enterprises Program are unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Indiana’s Veteran Owned Small Business Program remains in place and is unchanged.
For program information and application instructions, visit the IDOA website.
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