General Info

The City of Chattanooga no longer maintains a standard mailing list since partnering with the State of Tennessee in support of the Governor’s Diversity Business Enterprise Initiative.

On October 25, 2004, the City of Chattanooga announced its decision to partner with the State of Tennessee in Governor Phil Bredesen’s “Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise Initiative”, set forth and established by T.C.A. 12-3-801 and Executive Order 14, to increase our opportunities for diversity business contract participation. As a result of this partnership, the City of Chattanooga discontinued maintaining a standard mailing list effective November 10, 2004. If your business is classified as a large business enterprise, refer to the large business instructions written below. Small and diverse business enterprises should refer to the below small business instructions for further information on how to do business with us and obtain bid opportunities.

We provide potential suppliers with several options for learning about our procurement solicitations allowing you to choose the option that best fits your business operation and budget.

Option 1. Our solicitations are published in these local newspapers the Chattanooga Times Free Press (located in the classified advertisements section), and the Urban Voice Electronic Newspaper.

Option 2. You can obtain and download information about our solicitations in Purchasing Division Open Bids.

Large Business Instructions

Large business enterprises interested in conducting business with the City may contact the City of Chattanooga Purchasing Division on-line by sending information about your company to purchasing@chattanooga.gov. The information should include the following: your company’s name, street address, mailing address (if different from your street address), the company contact person, telephone number, fax number, email address, Taxpayer Identification Number, state if your company is a manufacturer, wholesaler, dealer, consultant, etc.; and, give a brief description of the goods and/or services that you are interested in providing to the City of Chattanooga.

This information will be given to the appropriate Buyer(s) to add to their personal list of potential sources of supply.

Small Business Instructions

The City uses the State of Tennessee’s Diversity Business Enterprise Mailing List for its small diverse business sources of supply. Diverse businesses (minority, woman-owned, and small businesses) interested in conducting business with the City of Chattanooga should apply for registration and certification with the State of Tennessee. Applications can be obtained on-line by connecting to the following website: www.tennessee.gov/businessopp or you may call the Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise’s toll-free number 866-894-5026.

Diverse Business Enterprise Vendors

The Purchasing Division actively solicits bids from Diverse Business Enterprise (DBE) vendors, on every project. All parties submitting quotes, bids, proposals, or qualifications will be asked to identify the DBE category of their business, if applicable.
The Purchasing Division, in association with the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), maintains a database of certified DBE vendors. To be established as DBE, a vendor must be certified under the authority of an entity recognized by the City.

DBE Business Certifications recognized by the City include:

• National Minority Supplier Development Council (MBE Certification)
• Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
• TN Governor's Office of Diversity Business Certification (GoDBE)
• Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)
• US Department of Veteran's Affairs Veteran-Owned Small Business/Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB/VOSB)
• National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Certification (LGBTBE)
• US Business Leadership Network Disability Supplier Diversity Certification (DSDP)