The City of West Palm Beach has successfully made small business development a cornerstone of its economic growth strategy. It recognizes that to increase local economic growth, change starts with ensuring small businesses have access to public contracting opportunities. The City established the Office of Small Business Programs to certify, track, and promote local participation in competed City contracts.
To achieve these goals effectively, West Palm Beach needed an All-in-One system that could simplify compliance monitoring, provide transparent reporting, and help measure the real impact of small business participation in City contracts. PRISM Compliance Management became the answer and solution.
The Challenge
Before adopting PRISM, the City faced several hurdles:
Manual tracking of payments made to small business subcontractors was time-consuming and error-prone.
Limited transparency made it difficult to measure the full impact of small business participation.
Compliance reporting required significant staff resources, delaying updates to leadership and stakeholders.
As the City’s procurement activity grew, it became clear that a technology-driven compliance solution was needed to support accountability and ensure that small businesses truly benefited from contracting opportunities.
The PRISM Solution
In 2015, the City of West Palm Beach adopted PRISM Compliance Management to modernize its small business program. PRISM provided:
Automated Payment Tracking: Real-time monitoring of subcontractor payments ensured that small businesses were accurately credited for their work.
Streamlined Reporting: Quarterly and annual reports could be generated quickly, providing City leaders with reliable data to make informed decisions.
Transparency & Accountability: Prime contractors were held accountable for meeting participation commitments, creating a fairer environment for small businesses.
Program Growth Support: PRISM gave staff more time to focus on outreach, training, and capacity-building programs that expanded the pool of certified small businesses.
Results
With PRISM as the backbone of compliance monitoring, the City achieved measurable improvements in its small business program:
Consistent Growth in Participation: From FY 2021 to FY 2024, small business participation steadily increased, with contract dollars awarded to certified firms more than doubling in some years.
Efficient Compliance Oversight: What was once a manual and resource-heavy process became automated, freeing staff to concentrate on business development initiatives.
Data-Driven Decision-Making: Leadership gained clear visibility into where dollars were going, enabling more targeted support for small business growth.
Community Impact: Over 300 small businesses became certified by 2024, directly contributing to the City’s economic vitality and resilience.
Conclusion
The City of West Palm Beach has proven that with the right tools, small business programs can thrive and deliver lasting community impact. By leveraging PRISM Compliance Management, the City transformed its compliance process into a strategic advantage, ensuring accountability, expanding opportunities, and driving small business success.
PRISM is proud to partner with the City of West Palm Beach in building a stronger, more inclusive economy powered by small businesses.
Photos Courtesy of The City of West Palm Beach