Waco, TX (FOX 44) — The City of Waco is levelling the playing field for minority women business owners in our area
Its being done through a new online system where independent vendors can respond to bids and services needed by the city.
City of Waco purchasing manager Kasey Gamblin says they moved to this system to have more options to better meet needs in our community.
“Quite a few people asked for this over the years. Now our engineering department and our utilities department are wanting to see more vendors brought in, said Gamblin.
Gamblin says its new system, bonfire, will allow vendors to register their business online to receive contracts and bids for city purposes.
“This is a one time deal of buying a vehicle for over $50,000 to any kind of construction process or anything like that,’ said Gamblin.
Gamblin says Waco is in a disparity for available vendors they can work with.
“We’ve got so many projects that a handful of vendors can’t do it all. We have to expand our base,” said Gamblin.
Daysi Barrera owns of the 25th Street furniture store in Waco.
We told Barrera about the new system and she says its a great opportunity to serve new clients.
“I’d love to be part of this new era that we would have to use our technology to make our businesses successful,” said Barrera.
For the community, this new system can help save money.
“I mean, hopefully it’s going to save money for the city. You know, we’re going to get multiple people bidding on projects. That’s going to drive down costs, which is taxpayer money,” said Gamblin.
For any vendor who has questions about signing up for Bonfire, you can contact the City of Waco or your local chamber of commerce.
