Online Workshop · Inksight, in collaboration with Kevin Phan
City Contracts: Selling to Your City Hall
City government contracts for small businesses, in a free online workshop: how cities buy, the dollar limits for quotes and formal bids, vendor registration, local preferences and a 30-day plan to win your first city job.
- 6 Narrated Lessons
- About 45 minutes, self-paced
- Certificate
- Free
Sacramento City Hall. Photo: Vahe Martirosyan, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Offered By
- Inksight, in collaboration with Kevin Phan
- Instructor
- Kevin Phan
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- 6 narrated lessons · About 45 minutes, self-paced
- Price
- Free with an account
- Format
- Online Workshop, self-paced
- Narration
- Narrated in Kevin Phan’s voice (AI), 0.75x to 2x
- Certificate
- Yes, with a verification ID, when you finish
About This Free Workshop
City government contracts are often the easiest public contracts for a small business to win. Cities buy every day: printing, landscaping, food for events, repairs, cleaning, IT help, signs, uniforms and much more, and many of those purchases are small enough that a department can ask a few local vendors for quotes. This self-paced workshop, taught by Kevin Phan, shows you how your city buys and how to get on its list.
What You Will Learn
- Who buys at City Hall, and what cities buy
- The dollar limits for small purchases, informal quotes and formal bids, with real city examples
- How to register as a city vendor and get bid alerts
- Local and small business preferences, and how to use them
- How to answer a quote request, read a bid and follow an award to City Council
- A 30-day plan to win your first city job
Every city sets its own rules, so check your city’s purchasing code and bid page before you rely on any number. Next, take the other government contracting workshops, starting with County Government Contracts; then state, federal, special districts, utilities and certifications.
Lessons
- How Cities Buy · 7 min
- Small Purchases, Quotes and Formal Bids · 8 min
- Get on the List: Vendor Registration and Bid Portals · 7 min
- Local and Small Business Preferences · 7 min
- Winning Quotes and City Bids · 8 min
- Your 30-Day City Contracting Plan and Final Quiz · 8 min
Two Quick Steps
- Create your free Inksight account (or log in if you have one). It takes a minute; anyone 18 or older can join.
- Come back and take this workshop. Your progress and certificate are saved to your account.