The Business Development Task Force will meet virtually on Monday, April 7^th at 3:30 p.m.

The City of Virginia Beach has commissioned BBC Research & Consulting (BBC) to conduct a disparity study to measure the participation and availability of person of color (POC)-, woman-, and service-disabled veteran-owned firms in the contracts and procurements they award. As part of the 2025 City of Virginia Beach Disparity Study, BBC is contacting local chambers, councils, and trade organizations to inform the business community about the disparity study and gather first-hand information on marketplace conditions in Virginia Beach.

The City of Virginia Beach has identified Virginia Beach Vision and the Business Development Task Force as a key stakeholder for the study, and they would like to invite you to participate in a 60- to 90-minute-long focus group with BBC.

If you are willing, they would like to conduct a focus group to understand how the City’s contracting and procurement policies can better serve the businesses in the area and support the continued economic development of the Virginia Beach marketplace. The study team will use information from this discussion to improve its recommendations for contracting policies and programs. Interviews and focus groups with representatives from chambers, councils, and trade organizations in the Virginia Beach marketplace are essential to public agencies having reliable, first-hand information when considering policy changes. Your input would be much appreciated.

Information provided during the focus group will be integrated into the final disparity report, but your comments will be treated anonymously, and the study team will remove any potentially identifying information.