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Government Contracting

Contracting Opportunities
The City of Houston, as well as other public agencies, solicits bids from businesses for various goods and services. Use the link below to find current solicitations that may lead to prime or subcontracting opportunities. When reading solicitations, be sure to look for pre-bid/pre-proposal conferences, which provide specific information about the project, as well as excellent networking opportunities with prime contractors / suppliers.

Minority / Small Business Certifications
The Office of Business Opportunity certifies Minority, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Business Enterprises, Small Business Enterprises, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (M/W/PDBE, SBE and DBE) and validates eligibility of firms applying for certification.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend one of the weekly Pre-Certification Workshops offered each Thursday at 2:00 p.m. in the Office of Business Opportunity Office located at 611 Walker St. 7th Floor Houston, TX 77002. These workshops address certification types, requirements and procedures to guide business owners through the certification process.

Business Bonding
A surety bond ensures contract completion in the event of contractor default. A project owner (called an obligee) seeks a contractor (called a principal) to fulfill a contract. The contractor obtains a surety bond from a surety company. If the contractor defaults, the surety company is obligated to find another contractor to complete the contract or compensate the project owner for the financial loss incurred.

There are four types of surety bonds: ​

  1. Bid Bond: Ensures the bidder on a contract will enter into the contract and furnish the required payment and performance bonds if awarded the contract.
  2. Payment Bond: Ensures suppliers and subcontractors are paid for work performed under the contract.
  3. Performance Bond: Ensures the contract will be completed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.
  4. Ancillary Bond: Ensures requirements integral to the contract, but not directly performance related, are performed.