Center to help small businesses get a share of $20 billion

The Central California Small Business Development Center (CCSBDC) hosted by the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno has been selected to assist local businesses bid on Caltrans contracts totaling $20 billion.

The California Construction Contracting Program is a partnership between Caltrans, the California Community College’s Economic and Workforce Development Program and the Small Business Development Center program.

The center at Fresno State will help business owners get ready and qualify to bid on large and small Caltrans’ contracts, said Bryan Moe, director of the center.

Moe said the CCSBDC also will assist businesses with selling goods and commodities to Caltrans – everything from cleaning agents to office supplies.

“Due to the passage of huge statewide infrastructure bonds, the reconstruction of California’s roads is under way,” said Moe. “If your business provides services from asphalt to Port-A-Potties, from backhoes to fencing, from catering to architectural and engineering services you need to prepare yourself and your business to take advantage of this great opportunity,” he said.

The CCSBDC will provide counseling by experts in the transportation contracting and business management fields. Assistance is available in many areas including cost estimating methodologies, cost proposals assistance, marketing to prime contractors, expectation from prime contractors, proposal development, accounting and cash flow management, business management, plans and marketing, quality assurance, business plan-development and successful modification of business practices.

Since 1993 the Small Business Development Center has been serving the counties of Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare, with offices in Fresno and Visalia. The CCSBDC is a partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration, University of California, Merced, and California State University, Fresno’s Craig School of Business.

For more information, call the center at 559.625.3051 or 559.230.4056.

Related link: www.ccsbdc.org.