Each selected vendor will generate an outreach plan highlighting the strategies to be employed to increase awareness of the program and its resources in a manner that is efficient, effective, and inclusive. Outreach strategies should include the following components and aims:

• Development of an online platform for marketing and application processing
• Development of multi-lingual, inclusive content for distribution
• Development of animated videos and images
• Development of channels of communication with small business development communities and ecosystems

This program targets assistance to:

• Minority-, woman-, or immigrant-owned businesses
• Black-owned businesses
• Microenterprises (businesses with 10 or fewer employees, including the owner)
• Small businesses, or business owner residences, that are located in a QCT as designated by the federal government

KPIs of this program include:

• Increased business revenues
• Increased business stabilization
• Increased capacity for small businesses to compete for Harris County and other government contracts
• More jobs retained or created

This program will be assessed via a robust evaluation strategy, implemented in partnership with an evaluation vendor. The following metrics and data points reflect the County’s goals in defining and tracking program performance, efficiency, and impact. The responsibility for collecting the data points will be shared jointly amongst the Harris Hub vendors and third-party evaluators depending on the scope of their work.

The required data should be granular, beneficiary-level, and may include, but is not limited to, the following types of variables:

Technical assistance webinar, seminar, coaching rates

• Granular beneficiary data
• Business revenue measures
• Amount of money applied for (outside loans/capital) and amount received
• Jobs (full-time or part-time) retained or created
• Number of businesses receiving technical assistance
• Number of total hours of technical assistance provided
• Number and percentage of businesses who received technical assistance services who were able to stay in business one year later
• Number of businesses that increase skills such as improved knowledge about the local market or gained new ideas about products, services, techniques, or technologies (as determined by a client assessment or pre/post-test for classes)
• Number of businesses that receive financial support through grant funding (if applicable)
• Number of new businesses created/launched
• Number of business closures and causes
• Number of small businesses that submit a response to government requests for bids and/or proposals
• Number of government contracts awarded to businesses that received Harris Hub-affiliated assistance (TA and/or grant funds)
• Number of small businesses that submit a response to government bids and/or proposals as a Prime contractor
• Number of businesses assisted in getting certifications and listing of certification type
• Beneficiary satisfaction with program services (e.g., client survey to rate their satisfaction with coaching or with classes taught).