HCWA Fall Supplier Conference coming Oct. 2

    The HCWA Fall Supplier Conference will be held on Thursday Oct. 2, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, at the utility’s Engineering Building located at 100 Westridge Industrial Blvd. in McDonough. The conference will feature a roundtable discussion format, where potential vendors can learn how to do business with the HCWA by talking directly to staff and reviewing the Authority’s upcoming capital projects and procurement programs.

    “The Conference is a roundtable format that is almost entirely focused on networking, so those attending will have direct interactions with all of our departments on hand,” says Rodney Stroud, Procurement Compliance Specialist who is organizing the event. “Attendees can move about freely to exchange information with any departments of their choosing, and one of our prime contractors will be in attendance to provide insights on sub-contracting opportunities on larger projects as well.”

    The HCWA utilizes Bidnet Direct as a third-party service to collect and process bids on its behalf for Authority projects, as well as specified office products and services. Potential vendors can register to do business with the HCWA by joining the Georgia Purchasing Group, which provides local businesses and professionals with access to bids and work with local governments throughout Georgia, in addition to the Water Authority.

    Since 2019, the HCWA Board has implemented initiatives to encourage local business owners and operators to participate in Authority bids. Those policies include the Local Business Preference Policy, the Local Sheltered Market Program, and the Supplier Inclusion Policy.

    “Since we have implemented our new policies, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number and types of companies wanting to do business with us,” says Tony Carnell, HCWA General Manager. “Since we are smaller than most county or state governmental entities, we saw an opportunity to better educate our community about business opportunities through networking events such as our Supplier Conferences.”

    The Authority’s Local Business Preference Policy awards contracts to locally owned businesses or organizations located in Henry County if their bid is within 5 percent of the lowest bid from a non-Henry County business.

    The HCWA Local Sheltered Market Program identifies and reserves supply and service contract opportunities with an annual estimated value of $100,000 or less, for locally owned and operated businesses.

    Finally, the Authority’s Supplier Inclusion Policy aims to identify, attract, promote, and build relationships with a competitively diverse population of qualified businesses with which to contract for goods, labor, materials, services, or supplies. Those qualified businesses who are prioritized for HCWA bids include registered Local and Small Business Enterprises (LSE), Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (VBE), and
Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE).

    “Henry County is home to many businesses who provide many great services and products that can benefit the Authority,” adds Carnell. “With the support of our Board, we’ve been intentional about expanding the reach of our procurement policies, to ensure that local businesses are aware of opportunities to do business with the Henry County Water Authority.”
    
For more information on how to do business with the HCWA through its procurement process, local businesses can visit the Authority’s website at https://bit.ly/4iQ32CE, and register with Bidnet Direct at https://www.bidnetdirect.com/georgia/henrycountywaterauthority.




Rodney Stroud (at the podium), HCWA Procurement Compliance Specialist, addresses local business owners attending the Authority’s Spring Supplier Conference. The HCWA is set to host its Fall Supplier Conference on Thursday, Oct. 2.









Tony Carnell (left), HCWA General Manager, speaks to a guest during the HCWA Supplier Conference held this past spring. The Authority is hosting its Fall Supplier Conference on Oct. 2.