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City of Karratha

Small and Medium Business Support

Small businesses are an integral part of the local economy.
Despite being underrepresented in the number of local small and medium businesses per capita compared to the wider state, the number of small businesses within the region grew by 4.2 per cent from 2017 to 2018, which is more than double the rate of growth across the state. This is not uncommon where the local economy is dominated by large industries and creates opportunities for enterprising individuals to take advantage of gaps and establish successful businesses.   
A thriving small and medium business sector will support the community and provide a number of career choices for local residents. The City is committed to working closely with the business community to identify and address key issues in order to create conditions that will allow local businesses to succeed. 
Quick links:

Business Climate Scorecard

The City understands the role that small, locally-owned businesses play in providing long-term economic growth and is looking to understand how best to support local businesses.

The Business Climate Scorecard is a new initiative that invites local business owners and managers to provide feedback about their experience operating a business within the City of Karratha.

Respondents evaluate the services and facilities currently provided by the City, State Government and other partners, with information collected used to inform Council's initiatives that support the small business community.

Results from the scorecard are available here.

Business Breakfast Briefings
Together with the Karratha Districts Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we serve up quarterly Business Breakfast Briefings to small business owners. These provide updates about upcoming projects, proposals and opportunities to work with us.
They're also an opportunity to connect with other local businesses and share ideas.
 
Contact the KDCCI on 9144 1999 to be notified of the next Business Breakfast Briefing.

Take Your Business Online Grant

Applications for the 2020/21 financial year Take Your Business Online Grant will open in early 2020.

Building an online presence is vital for growing local business. Since 2017 the City of Karratha has awarded funding to 28 local small businesses under the Take Your Business Online Grant to improve their digital capacity and marketing to increase competitiveness, innovation and efficiency of the enterprises’ operations, products and services.

Grants of up to $5,000 are offered on a matched dollar-for-dollar basis and may contribute towards web design; social media presence; e-business; customer relationship management; development of apps or online marketing. This is a competitive process and applicants must demonstrate how the project will improve their business and deliver benefit to the community.

Grants for the 2019/20 financial year were endorsed by Council in May, with the following businesses sharing in more than $54,000 in funding:

 
For further eligibility requirements, guidelines and application forms, download the following:
Applications can be emailed to citygrowth@karratha.wa.gov.au or for further information contact the City Growth team on 9186 8555.
 
Business Development Support Grant
 
Local small businesses play a pivotal role in contributing to the local economy and providing local jobs. Since 2017 the City of Karratha has supported 18 projects under the Business Development Support Grant Scheme.
 
Grants of up to $30,000 per event are offered on a matched dollar-for-dollar basis to support local collaborators and organisations with developing and delivering innovative business development project that will result in economic benefits for Karratha.
 
For the 2019/20 financial year, Council endorsed more than $82,000 in Business Development Support Grants to the KDCCI and Pilbara Tourism Association for initiatives offering support to businesses through the provision of training workshops, expos and conferences.
 
For further eligibility requirements, guidelines and application form, please download the following:
Applications can be emailed to citygrowth@karratha.wa.gov.au or for further information contact the City Growth team on 9186 8555.
Regional Price Preference
In 2017/18, the City of Karratha issued 10,735 purchase orders with work allocated to local business valued at $62.5 million.
To promote local business partnerships within the City of Karratha, preferential consideration is given to regional suppliers in the procurement of goods and/or services via tender.
A copy of the City of Karratha’s Regional Price Preference Policy can be downloaded here.
Keep up-to-date on all the latest opportunities by registering your business on Tenderlink and Vendorpanel Marketplace - it's free and easy to do.
Tenderlink 
We use this electronic tendering portal to advertise requests for tender, usually for projects over $150,000.
It's free to register and once you're in, you can request to be notified about new contract opportunities.
Check out our open tenders here: www.karratha.wa.gov.au/tenders
For technical issues, please contact Tenderlink support on 1800 233 533 or email support@tenderlink.com.
Vendorpanel Marketplace
We use eQuotes (via Vendorpanel) when seeking quotes from potential suppliers.
By creating a free profile on Vendorpanel Marketplace, you'll appear as a potential supplier when projects in your business category come up, and we can request a quote from you for the job.
For any technical issues, please contact the Vendorpanel Marketplace support team on 03 9095 6181 or email support@vendorpanel.com.au
Small Business Advisory Group
The Small Business Advisory Group was established in 2017 to provide advice to council on small business matters, including: 
  • Local procurement
  • Reducing business costs
  • Business support and development 
  • Opportunities for economic growth and diversification.
The group meets quarterly and comprises of City of Karratha staff and local business representatives. If you are interested to learn more, please contact citygrowth@karratha.wa.gov.au
Small Business Friendly Local Government
The right mix of small business can create a sense of vibrancy and attract people to live, work and visit.
The City of Karratha is committed to fostering an environment that supports the establishment and sustainable growth of local small business. We are proud to say our local government is ‘small business friendly’ under the State Government’s Small Business Development Corporation initiative.
To find out more, download our Small Business Charter here (177KB PDF).
Additional Small Business Resources
The Karratha and Districts Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KDCCI) is a not-for-profit organisation that represents the needs and aspirations of the local business community and provides a strong, active and independent voice for its members. The City provides funding for not-for-profit and community groups to utilise the KDCCI’s printing services.
The Business Centre Pilbara is a not-for-profit organisation supporting business owners with low-cost advice, support, training and mentoring from offices in Karratha, Onslow and Tom Price.
Small Business Development Corporation Through its outreach advisory service, Business Local, SBDC provides free advice, guidance and workshops for small business owners throughout Karratha. Visit RSM Business Local to connect with an advisor.
Business License Finder This free to use service from the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) can help you identify which licenses and permits you need to start or operate your business, along with any codes of practice you may be required to comply with. Penalties may apply if you operate without them. 
For more information about starting a small business within the City of Karratha, contact our City Growth team on 9186 8555.