Milwaukee County’s goal is to enrich your life by providing essential services that meet your needs and those of your family, neighbors, co-workers and friends.
We enhance the quality of life in Milwaukee County through great public service.
Milwaukee County is home to over 950,000 people living in one of 19 communities, which range in size from the City of Milwaukee, with 595,000 residents, to the Village of River Hills, with roughly 1,600 residents.
Still a manufacturing stronghold, the region features 16 Fortune 1000 companies and thousands of others in the financial services, medical device, hospitality and retailing industries.
Find information about things to do and happenings in Milwaukee County.
A small-business owner, regardless the level of business experience and stage of development, is seeking ways to keep moving forward and to stay motivated to maintain the momentum of a positive controlled growth of their business.
On average Milwaukee County procures over $120 million per year in services, goods and infrastructure projects.
Milwaukee County’s Office of Economic Inclusion is a partner to small businesses. Our work includes a suite of products including the Small Business Development Program, the Revolving Loan Program, direct access to Milwaukee County department directors, information on potential contracts for most business sectors, and identifying procurement opportunities within Milwaukee County for encouraging minority, women and small business participation.
To ensure that Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Targeted Business Enterprise (TBE) firms are afforded a level playing field in participating on all Milwaukee County procurement contracts, the Office of Economic Inclusion develops goals, monitors contract payments and enforces Milwaukee County ordinances. The Office of Economic Inclusion reviews contracts and monitors all payments to its prime contractors through all subcontracting tiers on all Milwaukee County contracts using B2GNow.
All prime and subcontract payment reporting is required to be done using B2GNow.
Resources, Forms and Links
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The Office of Economic Inclusion is a member of the Wisconsin Unified Certification Program (WisUCP), which is comprised of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, City of Madison and Dane County. If a business is certified as a DBE with any of the four WisUCP certifying member organizations, the business is registered with all four agencies, and eligible to apply for interstate U.S. DOT UCP certification nationwide.
We are the DBE and Airport Concession Disadvantage Business Enterprise (ACDBE) and SBE certifying body for Milwaukee County. The combined gross revenue for DBE and ACDBE firms was $35 million in 2016, and is projected to increase at an annual rate of 1.5 percent, to $177 million in 2020. DBE/ACDBE participation is required on contracts funded by the U.S. DOT, FTA or FAA. Milwaukee County has set DBE and ACDBE goals for all U.S. DOT-funded projects. Learn more.
To qualify as a DBE, ACDBE or SBE you must meet the following criteria as definied in 49 CFR:
If your company meets this criteria, start the certification process using Business To Government Now (B2GNow).
Milwaukee County only accepts certification applications through B2G Now.
Use B2G Now for compliance, reporting payments, certification and registration management.
For projects that are not funded by U.S. DOT, FTA or FAA, Milwaukee County has a TBE program. The TBE program widens the pool of potential minority, women and small business enterprises to contract services with. A definition of a TBE is any company that is certified as a DBE under WisUCP, or certified as a minority- or women-owned business with the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration or registered as a small business in the SBA SAM registry.
Milwaukee County has an average TBE participation goal of 21%.
A TBE business is a for profit entity as a DBE, minority, women or small business and must be certified or registered with at least one of the following:
The mission of the Office of Economic Inclusion is to increase the overall economic viability of small and disadvantaged businesses throughout Milwaukee County and the region.
To accomplish this mission, our staff is dedicated to:
Milwaukee County 633 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 902 Milwaukee, WI 53203 (414) 278-4747 Office (414) 223-1958 Fax
General Email Inquiries
Certification Questions?
Milwaukee County Courthouse 901 N. 9th St., Room 308 Milwaukee, WI 53233
(414) 278-5353 (Voice), 711 (TRS)