Business Equity
Our Vision
Business Equity for Aurora seeks to increase the participation of local, small and underrepresented businesses in government contracting, including minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned, and person-with-disability-owned businesses (also known as MWBEs).
An MWBE is a business that is at least 51% owned and operated by an individual or group that is a member of an underrepresented group. Common classifications include:
Increasing the number of certified MWBEs that contract with the City of Aurora will foster innovation, drive competition, and create jobs, overall creating economic growth for the community.
Our Goals
| Expand Our Vendor Pool |
Education |
Generate Economic Impact |
| Increase number of procurement-ready MWBEs who align with Aurora’s needs. |
Provide understanding of procurement procedures. |
Help MWBEs and DBEs grow their business by winning large contracts, in turn driving revenue and creating jobs. |
| Increase the number of local businesses becoming certified by the State of Illinois. |
Educate staff about the importance of Business Equity. |
Grow MWBEs subcontractors into prime contractors. |
This initiative was created after the completion of a disparity and availability study of local businesses. Read the report here.(PDF, 561KB)
Our Program/ What We Do
We foster an inclusive environment for procurement by providing support to local underrepresented businesses, through community partnerships, educational events/workshops, and promoting opportunities to grow and scale your business through our newsletter.
Interested in Contracting?
The City of Aurora Procurement Division welcomes the interested and participation of all businesses seeking to provide goods and services to the city. Aurora is looking to increase the number of local businesses and MWBE’s they procure from.
To learn more about contracting with the City of Aurora, click here.