Annual event connects local businesses with citywide opportunities
May 9, 2024, 3:06 p.m.

KNOXVILLE - Local business owners who want to learn about purchases the City of Knoxville will make over the next 12 to 18 months are invited to the 15th annual Business Opportunities Breakfast on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 7:30-11 a.m. at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Attendance, which includes a full Southern breakfast, is free; register at KnoxvilleTN.gov/BusinessBreakfast.

The City of Knoxville spends up to $130 million each year on products like office supplies, liquid soap and safety equipment, and services like mowing, paving, cleaning and repair.

At this annual event, local business owners who provide those products and services can talk directly to purchasing officials about the City’s policies and plans, as well as look ahead at their own capacity and budgets.

All businesses—including new businesses, small businesses and businesses owned by women, minorities, people with disabilities and military veterans—are encouraged to send representatives and connect directly with City department heads and purchasing staff.

Representatives of City departments and the following partner agencies will present their forthcoming projects and anticipated purchasing needs: Knoxville's Community Development Corporation, the Public Building Authority, Knoxville Area Transit, Knoxville Utilities Board, ASM Global, and the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

All purchases more than $12,500 are handled through a competitive procurement process; purchases under this amount don’t require a bidding process and are made at the purchaser’s discretion.

The City of Knoxville ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services.

To request language translation services, contact the City’s Human Resources Department at titlevi@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-3100. For disability accommodations, contact City ADA Coordinator Stephanie Brewer Cook at scook@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-2034.

Find more information about the City’s Purchasing Department, bidding and contracting opportunities, Small Business and Diversity Outreach and more at KnoxvilleTN.gov/Purchasing.