The Office of Business Opportunity supports the school district’s Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) and Local Developing Business (LDB) programs. The department also collects data for the OCPS Apprenticeship program.

Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Program

The MWBE program seeks to ensure that qualified minority and women-owned businesses that compete for School Board contracts are not subject to unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or gender. The program also serves to create additional business opportunities for the various MWBE contractors and vendors within the Orlando Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (Orlando SMSA).

Established school board policy sets desired MWBE participation levels for the dollar value of work awarded at differing percentages based on the type of work performed. Those current overall annual participation levels are as follows:

1. Construction work and Construction Materials – 23%
2. Professional Services of Architects & Engineers - 15%
3. Procurement of Goods and Non-Professional Services – 12% (this goal is established considering all purchases of goods and services except; lease of real property, spaces, use permits, employee benefits, taxes, judgments, agreements for travel dues, pensions, utilities, subscriptions, anti-allegiances, debt service requirements and postage).

Local Developing Business (LDB) Program

The Local Developing-Business program is designed to promote the development of local businesses and facilitate the availability of firms to compete for projects at the School Board. Through implementation of the LDB program, the Office of Business Opportunity seeks to provide full and equal business opportunities to all LDBs in the School Board’s construction contracting, procurement, and professional services activities.

To promote the utilization of LDBs, the School Board has set annual percentage goals for the dollar value of work to be awarded to LDBs. The annual overall goals are as follows:

1. Construction Work and Construction Materials – 10%
2. Procurement of Goods and Non-Processional Services – 10%
3. Professional Services of Architects & Engineers – 10%

Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) Program

The Veteran Business Enterprise program is designed to promote the veterans-owned small businesses and facilitate the availability of firms to compete for projects at the School Board. Through implementation of the VBE program, the Office of Business Opportunity seeks to provide full and equal business opportunities to all VBEs in the School Board’s construction contracting, procurement, and professional services activities.

To promote the utilization of VBEs, the School Board has set annual percentage goals for the dollar value of work to be awarded to VBEs. The annual overall goals are as follows:

1. Construction Work and Construction Materials – 3%
2. Procurement of Goods and Non-Processional Services – 3%
3. Professional Services of Architects & Engineers – 3%