Home » Louisville adds vendor portal tool to promote buying local

Louisville adds vendor portal tool to promote buying local

Designed to help small businesses

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 15, 2016) — Citing an effort to increase its ability to help small businesses and “buy local” more often, Mayor Greg Fischer announced Thursday that Louisville Metro Government has added a new vendor portal on the Division of Purchasing’s page of the city website.

“Louisville has a strong small business community, but to grow, they need access to procurement opportunities right here at home,” said Fischer. “Creating a public portal will allow businesses to more easily position themselves as potential vendors for Louisville Metro, allowing our agencies to be more aware of local providers of goods and services we need to purchase.”

Local businesses interested in registering can submit information through the new portal. Louisville Metro agency buyers and Purchasing Division staff will be able to utilize the business information primarily when seeking purchasing opportunities below $20,000. Any purchases above $20,000 require, by state law, a competitive bid process.

In order for Louisville Metro to procure services and products, the business must be registered and compliant with the Revenue Commission and Human Relations Commission. Some common purchases by the city are construction, painting, roofing, pest control and a variety of business services.

Louisville Metro encourages and assists small business development and growth through the work of its Small Business Development staff and partnerships with other resource providers in the city. One such event is the Joint Utility Reception, held today, April 14, hosted by Louisville Metro, Louisville Water and Metropolitan Sewer District, to assist attendees with registering their business. The reception is 1–3 p.m. at The Olmsted, 3701 Frankfort Ave.

Submitting a Vendor Interest Form is not a guarantee for doing business with Louisville Metro Government, nor is it a bid notification system. The portal is a method for presenting local business capabilities and qualifications directly to decision-makers across all Metro agencies.

To complete the Vendor Interest Form, local business owners should visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/management-budget/purchasing