Grow your business
Enhance your capacity
Advance in concepts and techniques
Find contract opportunities with government agencies
The Readiness Training Program for HUBs/Small Businesses is an innovative training program that enhances the competitiveness and capacity of minority and women- owned small businesses to bid on public sector contracts in the Austin region. The RTP for HUBs has a two-funnel (phase) design that addresses the needs of participating companies at various stages of their growth, as well as governments that rely extensively on minority/women owned small businesses to provide necessary services and products.
Funnel One is designed for minority- and women-owned small businesses that are either new or still small (startups or companies with under $500K in revenues.) The emphasis of Funnel One is on government contracting, and presents the necessary steps for a small business to register or become certified, learn about contracting opportunities, and bid on and execute contracts with governments. Session presenters also share advice and best practices in accessing capital, identifying customers, and presenting business capabilities to potential prime contractors and government agencies. This training is being offered from November 10, 2026 to January 12, 2027.
Funnel Two is designed for more mature companies (revenues above $500K, several years of operations, and multiple employees) that are seeking to increase their capacity to win and execute successful contracts with local, state, and federal agencies in the Austin region. All sessions in Funnel Two offer more advanced business concepts, techniques, and information that have proven effective in growing a business. Applications are not being considered at this time.
Scroll down to see the tentative agenda for the main sessions and workshops. Please read the FAQs for additional details.
Applications will appear here when they are live.
Questions? Contact James E. Jarrett, Program Lead, at jj@ic2.utexas.edu
All Sessions are Online.
Sessions are on Tuesdays from 4:15 to 5:45
Workshops are on Thursdays from 4:15 to 5:45
Session 1:
November 10, 2026
Welcoming Remarks, Recognition of Sponsors, Company Self-Introductions, Presentations by Local Government HUB/DBE/SBE Office Representatives (Travis County, City of Austin, Capital Metro, Austin Independent School District, and Central Health)
Session 2:
November 17, 2026
Communicating Your Capabilities, Value Propositions, Capability Statements, and Elevator Pitches
Session 3:
December 1, 2026
| Presentations by State Government HUB/SB Office Representatives (Texas Department of Transportation, Department of Information Resources, State Comptroller of Public Accounts/VetHUB, Texas Facilities Commission, University of Texas at Austin) |
Session 4:
December 15, 2026
Presentations on Regional and Community Resources Available to Small Businesses
Session 5:
January 12, 2027
Presentation on Successful Contracting, Graduation, and Preview of Funnel Two
Workshop 1:
December 3, 2026
Practice Elevator Pitches and Feedback
Workshop 2:
December 10, 2026
Benefits of Certification
Workshop 3:
January 7, 2027
Responding to Purchasing Solicitations and Using AI in Developing Proposals
The following link provides all previous session information, participant information, presenters and video training:
