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TradesNetwork
Public Agencies
Partnership
Public Agencies Are Critical to Increasing Opportunities for XBEs
Public Agencies play a critical role in developing civic projects that create new opportunities for diverse XBE firms to grow and prosper. The goals established for each project go a long way to creating an environment that incentivizes prime contractors to engage with a diverse group of subcontractors.
TradesNetwork was developed to help advance the capabilities of these XBE subcontractors and enhance the prime contractors ability to find and engage these firms. TradesNetwork’s goal is to partner with public agencies, as industry leaders, as well as other stakeholders to deliver on the industry's promise, provide support, thought leadership, and develop new solutions to assist more XBE firms to develop and prosper.
TradesNetwork Brings Construction Industry Stakeholders Together
Our goal for TradesNetwork is to become an industry wide resource for small businesses and prime contractors.
Our collaborative approach supports XBEs through all stages of development and helps them build the relationships and knowledge needed to increase capacity. And we support the prime contractors by connecting them to a deeper pool of better qualified subcontractors. The result is a new cost-effective initiative that elevates the industry’s ability to achieve the goals set by project owners and funders.
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Demonstrate your industry leadership and dedication to advancing support for XBEs with TradesNetwork. Our platform not only showcases your programs but also enhances the impact through new collaborative solutions. TradesNetwork highlights and expands the effectiveness of your current efforts while documenting successes. Position yourself at the forefront of positive change, demonstrating not just a commitment to diversity but tangible results.
Industry Leadership
Connect to Qualified XBEs
Advantages of Partnering
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Exceed
Goals
By actively participating in TradesNetwork, you play a central role in cultivating a robust network of high-capacity XBEs, enhancing the pool of candidates for prime contractors. Your support directly contributes to increasing the availability of top-tier suppliers enabling prime contractors and their subcontractors to deliver on project goals more efficiently.
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Increase Visibility
Boost your initiative's visibility through data tracking of XBE growth and wins. TradesNetwork not only captures the metrics but also showcases compelling success stories. This combination attracts new small business owners and helps validate impact. Join us in creating a narrative of success, where data and success stories converge to elevate your initiatives, and change the mindset of many small business owners from “it's impossible to become a subcontractor” to “I can win a contract”.
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A Better Solution
Capitalize on the power of collaboration with our turnkey solution. By fostering a joint effort within the industry, we deliver more comprehensive and sustainable long-term support for the development of XBEs. This approach reduces costs by aggregating resources and helping business owners access what they need when they need it. Join us in redefining how the industry cultivates a robust network of XMBs.
TradesNetwork Hub features:
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For Primes
For Subcontractors
Education Hub
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Prime contact information
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Post current solicitations
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Information and guidance for subcontractors to become pre-qualified for projects
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Post upcoming in-person networking events and webinars
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Post subcontracting opportunities by metro area
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Access to searchable database of subcontractors by specialization, revenues, certification, or metro area
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Create company profile with information sought by Primes: Year established, revenues, area of specialization, bonding limits, recent projects and budgets, recommendations
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One central hub for searching for bid and contract opportunities
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Build relationships with other contractors for teaming opportunities
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Webinars led by subject matter experts
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Peer-to-peer information sharing, best practices, etc.
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Monitored and curated by Content Managers
TradesNetwork Collaborative Community Approach
TradesNetwork is the only collaborative online platform for Public Agencies, Project Owners, and Prime Contractors to support and connect with XBE subcontractors.
A community-based platform:
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Hub features a clearinghouse of contacts, contract opportunities, and subcontractor profiles.
Connect prime contractors with XBE subcontractors through a database of “virtual capabilities statements”
Community features and Managers build relationships with stakeholders and among subcontractors
Connects small business owners to educational opportunities that build capacity
Use data to track outcomes and document and publicize industry successes
The core of TradesNetwork is built around an online hub focused on providing resources and developing connections for small businesses. We aggregate information from all stakeholders in the ecosystem and publish them in one location. The hub features a community platform and we encourage XMBs to interact and develop relationships with each other and with the contracting entitles.
We bring together vetted programs and resources that can support a company during starting up and growth stages. It takes time for a company to increase capacity to become a viable subcontractor on a major project and this platform is designed to help businesses efficiently navigate the journey.
Our research shows that most small business owners don’t know how to navigate the process to meet the requirements of prime contractors. It’s one thing to look at resources on individual websites, it’s a totally different experience to receive the help needed to navigate from one stage to the next. We don’t duplicate programs and resources already available in the market, we bring them all together in a seamless way.
For prime contractors we assist in identifying more capable subcontractors that meet the needs of each project. We provide a database of “virtual capability statements” that are continually updated to reflect the changing qualifications of each small business.
To complement the resources provided, we compound the initiatives impact by tracking the small businesses advances and outcomes. Telling the stories of individual success and collective program wins is essential to changing the perception of the industry’s effectiveness in supporting local economic development. These stories become the best recruiting message for the next generation of owners starting their businesses.
TradesNetwork is a turnkey solution that pulls together the resources that support small businesses and changes the narrative of the industry’s innovation, success, and commitment to building community prosperity.
Showcase Your Programs & Opportunities
Working with TradesNetwork provides an ongoing resource where you can publicize your outreach and programs designed for XBE contractors. Rather than being an occasional resource, your efforts are now extended to developing ongoing interactions and relationships. You are seen as being more transparent, providing more visibility into your programs. The ongoing resources help identify and support a larger group of companies that are better able to work with prime contractors for upcoming projects. Though TradesNetwork, you agency's current programming is made more effective and your commitment is seen as having more value by the XBEs.
Partnership Opportunities:
Our goal is to provide new opportunities for all stakeholders in the construction ecosystem. We've developed the following benefits that are available for public agency partners:
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Dedicated section on TradesNetwork Hub with organization profile, contact information, events, resources, membership information and messaging with members managed by TradesNetwork or your staff.
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Your events promoted and listed on TradesNetwork Hub.
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Opportunities to collaborate on events and webinars.
Meet the Leadership
Community Engagement Architect
Brent Imai
Passionate about supporting and nurturing early-stage companies. Focus on product strategy, content creation, business model definition, negotiation of strategic partnership agreements, and investment.
Marketing & Outreach
Carlos Cordoba
Certified SBE/DBE small business owner with 20+ years of experience developing and implementing marketing
strategies for public agencies and private organizations with expertise in B2B marketing and outreach initiatives.
