Fayetteville’s primary utility company, Fayetteville PWC, is putting out an open call to small businesses to see if they can meet their purchasing and contracting needs in 2024. 

PWC’s third annual Industry Day will be returning to the community on Thursday, April 18 at the Fayetteville-Cumberland Regional Entrepreneur & Businesses Hub (FSU HUB) located at 1073 Murchison Road in Fayetteville, NC. 

“This event is normally held at the PWC Complex, however, we are expanding our business resource partners and the last couple of years we've been partnering with the HUB office to kind of just grow that networking space, so we're utilizing their location this year,” shared Nikole Bohannon, economic inclusion program manager for PWC. 

From 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., potential PWC suppliers are invited to network and learn about potential procurement opportunities that will be spotlighted during the event. 

“What we're really trying to do is create a space for all industries to come and learn about the procurement opportunities that we have for all purchasing needs. We have a broad variety of things that we purchase from. So we just want to create a space for suppliers and contractors to come and network with the purchasers that buy these goods and services,” explained Bohannon. 

Bohannon shared that PWC has a budget of more than $400 million for contracting and the main goal is to reinvest those dollars back into the Fayetteville MSA which include Cumberland, Harnett and Hoke counties. 

Two of the primary ways PWC connects with local businesses include PWC’s Small Local Suppliers (SLS) Program which was implemented in 2022 and their Minority Women Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (MWDBE) Program implemented in 2023, these are also the types of businesses they hope to attract to this event. 

PWC also collaborates with the City of Fayetteville's purchasing team as well, providing an opportunity to keep dollars local. Along with the chance to learn about procurement opportunities for PWC, attendees will also be able to: 

Become a supplier of PWC and/or the City of Fayetteville 

• Enroll in iSupplier and receive support on site 
• Certify as a Small Local Supplier 
• Learn about education and support of the FSU HUB and Fayetteville’s Small Business and Technology Development Center and more 

“Industry Day facilitates direct networking between local businesses and PWC, the City of Fayetteville and other Business Resource Partners. It's an excellent chance for us to discover new businesses and share current and future contract opportunities beyond construction. I urge all interested local businesses to attend, meet purchasers and network with partners who can aid business expansion,” shared Bohannon. 

The event is free to attend for the public but pre-registration is encouraged and can be done online at www.faypwc.com/purchasing