The Background

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is responsible for managing more than 50,000 miles of California's federal and state highways. As a United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) fund recipient, Caltrans implements the Federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program, which is designed to address potential discrimination against DBEs in the award and administration of USDOT-funded contracts. 

RightSource Services is now working with Caltrans to develop and manage their Small Business Development Program in Central and Northern California.  Working with local affinity groups, chambers of commerce, and SBDCs, RightSource will evaluate and onboard a total of 45 small business and work with them to get certified, build their business plans, and bid on multiple Caltrans-related contracts. 

RIGHTSOURCE WORKS WITH CITY, STATE, AND FEDERAL SPONSORSHIP TO
​PROVIDE TOTALLY FREE SUPPORT TO SMALL BUSINESSES.

 We are excited to provide this end-to-end support with measurable results to small businesses - all at no cost to the small business.

Contract Award in Six Stages

Working with Caltrans

Caltrans operates by very specific standards that smaller businesses can leverage.  Not every business is ready to or capable of competing in this space.​

• WHAT: Understand what types of products and services Caltrans acquires.
• WHAT: Learn how certification can give you an advantage, including a dollar value advantage in some cases.
• WHAT:  Learn what the rules of the road are.
• WHAT: Understand the risks and rewards.
• HOW:  Get certified and registered to get on their radar.
• HOW: Find ways to identify opportunities and the specific individuals to market to.

Business Plan Development

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  A business plan helps keep you focused and gives you measurable targets to achieve to be successful.  Most business owners know they need a business plan, very few actually do it.  Learn how to build a business plan that works for you.   ​

• WHAT: Learn the ways you can use a business plan to start, manage, and grow your business - and help qualify you for financing.  We will walk you through the three typical business plans.
• WHAT:  Learn from RightSource entrepreneurs with experience creating and working with Traditional and Lean Canvas business plans what the pros and cons are.  
• WHAT: Learn how to integrate business advisors into your strategy.
• HOW:  Build a simplified business plan that works for you.
• HOW: Structure the next steps to make sure you use your plan effectively

ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTING

• Targeted Business Improvement Strategies - Large businesses build Business Process Improvement into their everyday - (They even gave it an acronym - BPI).  Work with RightSource operational consultants to understand what is preventing you from succeeding fully.  Is your workflow optimized?  Are you micromanaging your team? Having an outsider review your process helps you find and fix the things you didn't even know were broken.
• Brainstorming - Whether you are trying to expand your market, develop a new product, restructure your team responsibilities, or simply get a second opinion on investing in new equipment, getting the benefit of other voices, will help you make a better decision.  
• Marketing Support - Further develop a marketing strategy and ways to measure performance.
• Business Plan Development - Take your basic business plan and expand it to something that truly builds a platform that you can use to finance, manage and grow your business.  

Start Here

Businesses with Caltrans Central and Northern CA locations have dedicated consultation available at no cost. To take advantage of this support, you simply need to complete the attached  EVENTBRITE REGISTRATION BELOW and select the programs and sessions you are interested in.   We start with a webinar on How to Do Business With Caltrans.  We then qualify a select few small businesses for participation in the full Business Development Program.  

PROGRAM FLYER

REGISTRATION FORM