By official proclamation, the City of Austin recognized the efforts of the Austin Procurement Consortium to support small businesses. Members of the consortium and a number of small business owners joined Austin City Council members in the celebration.
In Special Proclamation Ceremony, City of Austin Celebrates Programs that Empower Small Businesses
July 26, 2025
On July 24, 2025, the Austin City Council announced an official City Proclamation recognizing the vital role that the Austin Procurement Consortium plays in supporting small businesses.
Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes kicked off the proclamation event by saying, “I’m excited to celebrate a powerful collaboration — the Austin Procurement Consortium — for its commitment to supporting historically underutilized businesses. From capacity building and business coaching to real connections with public sector opportunities, this partnership has been critical in making sure Austin businesses have the chance to thrive.”
The Consortium is composed of members from the City of Austin’s Small and Minority Business Resources Department, Travis County, Capital Metro, Austin ISD, the Austin Transit Partnership, the University of Texas HUB Office, and the Bureau of Business Research at UT’s IC² Institute. The consortium was formed in 2023 to collaboratively support HUB-certified and small businesses by connecting them to helpful resources, training, and capacity-building opportunities.
Economic Empowerment in Action
The proclamation day was a celebration not only of the consortium, but also of the many small business who have invested time in professional development and capacity building using the resources developed by consortium members. One of those resources is the Readiness Training Program for Historically Underutilized Businesses (RTP for HUBs), a capacity-building program offered by the Bureau of Business Research at the IC² Institute.
The RTP for HUBs program offers education, business coaching and technical assistance tailored to small business owners interested in doing business with public sector entities. The Readiness Training Program has graduated more than 180 business owners; a number of them attended the proclamation event, which was held at City Hall.
Fuentes underscored the importance of small businesses in the community: “As our city continues to grow, so does our responsibility to preserve the small, local businesses that make our city truly unique and special.”
City of Austin Manager T.C. Broadnax, who also spoke at the event, called programs like RTP for HUBs “economic empowerment in action.” Broadnax commended the consortium, calling its collaborative work “an important milestone in advancing equity and opportunity for small businesses in our region” and added, “I want to thank the IC² Institute at the University of Texas for leading this effort.”
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