Last fall, the City announced its first ever Public Works Procurement Forecast with the intention of increasing participation from historically underutilized businesses by providing potential contractors more time to plan and prepare competitive bids.  

Today, the City is releasing its six-month update that includes a list of more than 130 different anticipated public works contract opportunities from four City agencies:  

The procurement forecast includes expected projects over the next 18-24 months and the list will be refreshed every six months. Accounting for over $520 million of upcoming work, the scope of work crosses multiple trades and upcoming demand for prime contractors and subcontractors in fields such as Highway and Bridge Construction; Electrical Installation; Water and Sewer Structures; Manufacturing, Trucking and Warehousing; and General Labor and Equipment Operation. 

New information has been added to the forecast including potential subcontracting opportunities and an anticipated dollar range for some projects. This information will assist potential vendors as they prepare competitive bids for the City. 

The citywide goal is for 35% of City contracts to go to minority, woman, or disabled-owned (M/W/DSBE) businesses. If you are a business who would like to get M/W/DSBE certified, find a certification agency and then complete the online application. To see which firms are M/W/DSBE certified, search the Office of Economic Opportunity’s registry. 

Many of the federally funded projects utilize the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program instead of M/W/DSBE. If you are a business who would like to get DBE certified, visit PennDOT’s DBE Support Services page for more information. To see which firms are already DBE certified, search Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program’s (PAUCP) registry.  

The updated Forecast follows last month’s release of the 2024 Infrastructure Solutions Team Report and Action Plan. The report includes a message from Mayor Cherelle Parker on how infrastructure investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) align with her 100-Day Action Plan. Ensuring these projects grow generational wealth for Philadelphians, especially people of color who have historically been excluded from opportunity, is central to the City’s strategy. 

The City has already been awarded over $500 million for infrastructure upgrades since the BIL and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) were enacted – including $158.9 million for Chinatown Stitch, $78 million for improvements to Roosevelt Boulevard, a $25 million RAISE grant for school slow zones, and $1.47 million for the creation of an electric vehicle workforce development program to empower aspiring EV supplies and equipment (EVSE) workers.

Looking Ahead 

The City will be releasing its next six-month update to the public works procurement forecast in October 2024. The City is also launching SupplyPHL to provide business advisory services to assist historically underutilized businesses to engage in public works projects in Philadelphia.

For more information on SupplyPHL, please visit: https://www.supplyphl.com/.

View the City’s Public Works Procurement Forecast here.