Template revised April 12, 2018.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No. 8f
ACTION ITEM Date of Meeting February 10, 2026
DATE: January 30, 2026
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: A. Boungjaktha, Managing Director, Economic Development Division
Mian Rice, Director, Diversity in Contracting
Emily Ho, Program Manager, Diversity in Contracting
SUBJECT: Interagency Agreement for Capacity Building Mentorship Program
Amount of this request: $40,000
Total estimated project cost: $40,000
ACTION REQUESTED
Request Commission authorization for Executive Director to execute an Interlocal Agreement
(ILA), pursuant to chapter 39.34 RCW, with Washington State Department of Transportation
(WSDOT), Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, City of Seattle, and King County to
implement the Capacity Building Mentorship Program for the purpose of strengthening the
capacity of small businesses in construction and consulting projects.
Signing the agreement would allow WSDOT to administer funds to the program administrator
and submit invoices to the Port and other parties for reimbursement. The Agreement’s
performance period commences on January 1, 2026, and is to be completed on December 30,
2027. The agreement will be for two years for a total cost of $40,000 to the Port, which is 11%
of the total contract amount of $365,000.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Diversity in Contracting team at the Port has been in discussion with WSDOT and Sound
Transit to join the relaunch of the Capacity Building Mentorship Program (CBMP), alongside the
City of Seattle and King County who are also participating in the program relaunch.
The CBMP is a long-term effort to strengthen the capacity of small businesses in Washington by
connecting them with larger firms engaged in government construction and consulting projects.
It was originally launched in 2018 through a partnership between the Washington State
Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the American Council of Engineering Companies
(ACEC), and the Associated General Contractors of Washington (AGC). In 2019, the partnership
grew to include Sound Transit. Since its launch, more than 130 proteges have participated in
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8f Page 2 of 5
Meeting Date: February 10, 2026
Template revised September 22, 2016.
one of the program's seven cohorts, with over 88% of mentors and proteges in the most recent
cohorts reporting being satisfied or very satisfied with the program.
JUSTIFICATION
Joining the Capacity Building Mentorship Program is an invaluable way for the Port to leverage
and contribute to the collaborative efforts of our peer agencies to accomplish our shared goals
of strengthening the capacity of the region’s small businesses. It is a direct way to advance the
Port’s Century Agenda Goal of responsibly investing in the economic growth of the region and
all its communities, as well as increasing the utilization of WMBE and DBE firms and eliminating
disparity of access to opportunities.
DETAILS
The Diversity in Contracting team at the Port has been in discussion with WSDOT and Sound
Transit to join the relaunch of the program, alongside the City of Seattle and King County who
are also participating in the program relaunch. All five government agencies share similar goals
to increase small business capacity and ability to gain work, and seek to advance those goals by
establishing specific protocols for developing, implementing, delivering, and expanding the
Program.
The purpose of the Agreement between the five agencies is for WSDOT to act as a pass-through
agency for CBMP administration funds, and to define the terms and conditions for work
performed to support CBMP implementation.
Scope of Work
A competitively-selected consultant shall manage the CBMP Program in coordination with
WSDOT, with input from program partners, and include the following elements:
The Consultant will be the primary point of contact for all past and current Mentor and
Protégé participants.
The Consultant will fund and update the CBMP Website.
The Consultant will develop and maintain an outreach strategy.
The Consultant will assess potential program candidates.
The Consultant will identify subcontractor and sub-consultant qualification levels and
Tier levels before connecting them with the appropriate Mentor firm.
The Consultant will coordinate virtual or in-person matchmaking engagements between
yet-to-be-paired Mentors and Protégés.
The Consultant will work with all Mentors and Protégés to develop program-approved
Individual Development Plans and Memorandums of Understanding (MOU).
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8f Page 3 of 5
Meeting Date: February 10, 2026
Template revised September 22, 2016.
The Consultant will organize and lead program orientations, meet and greet sessions,
and networking events for the participants.
The Consultant will conduct regular program benchmark reviews and provide updates at
bi-weekly meetings with CBMP representatives.
The Consultant, with input from CBMP representatives, shall provide a report based on
quarterly surveys or firm questionnaire findings.
The Consultant, with support from CBMP representatives, shall reach out to program
participants to address concerns.
Period of Performance
Subject to its other provisions, the Agreement’s performance period shall commence on
January 1, 2026, regardless of date of execution, and be completed on December 30, 2027,
unless terminated sooner as provided in the Agreement or extended through a properly
executed amendment.
Costs
The breakdown of payments between the Parties is as follows:
Party Contribution: Not to exceed.
WSDOT $200,000.00
Sound Transit $75,000.00
King County $40,000.00
Port of Seattle $40,000.00
City of Seattle $10,000.00
Anticipated staffing commitments as follows:
Party Anticipated Monthly Staffing Commitments
WSDOT 8 hours
Sound Transit 8 hours
City of Seattle 8 hours
King County 8 hours
Port of Seattle 8 hours
CBMP partnership aspirational benchmarks concerning financial contributions:
Party Financial contribution
(two years)
Contribution
by percent
Benchmark Number of Mentor-protégé
partnerships (two-year period)
60* pairs 50* pairs 40* pairs
WSDOT $200,000 55 percent 21* 16* 14*
Sound $75,000 20 percent 18* 15* 12*
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8f Page 4 of 5
Meeting Date: February 10, 2026
Template revised September 22, 2016.
Transit
City of
Seattle
$10,000 3 percent 3* 3* 2*
King
County
$40,000 11 percent 9* 8* 6*
Port of
Seattle
$40,000 11 percent 9* 8* 6*
*dependent on mentor and protégé availability.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
The Capacity Building Mentorship Program (CBMP) is a long-term effort by the Washington
State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to strengthen the capacity of small businesses in
Washington by connecting them with larger firms engaged in government construction and
consulting projects. Since its inauguration, the Program has promoted building relationships
and expanding contracting opportunities as the most effective way to strengthen the capacity
of Small Businesses. Since its launch in 2018, more than 130 protégés have participated in this
program in one of seven cohorts, with over 88% of mentors and proteges in the most recent
cohorts reporting being satisfied or very satisfied with the program.
The Program was originally launched in March 2018 through a partnership between WSDOT,
the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), and the Associated General
Contractors of Washington (AGC), with Thor Construction serving as program manager. In April
2019, it was relaunched as the Capacity Building Mentorship Program in partnership with
Sound Transit, ACEC, AGC, and the Washington Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
Business Center.
On June 30, 2025, the WA MBDA Business Center closed. To ensure continuity, WSDOT hired
CORE Strategists to manage the program during this period. WSDOT has selected a long-term
CBMP program administrator, Apex Accelerators, that began work in January 2026.
Differentiation from Port Business Accelerator Program
Diversity in Contracting has organized its own mentorship program, the Port of Seattle Small
Business Accelerator Mentorship Program, since 2021. This program occurs annually in the Fall
wherein 11-15 select businesses in Port-related industries, are each paired with an industry
mentor and experience a robust curriculum, primarily in-person, over the course of three
months. The Program is known for the unique visibility and access it grants these businesses to
the Port, by connecting them to key Port decision makers, and educating them on the Port’s
unique contracting opportunities and needs. It is also singular in its ability to establish
meaningful relationships, and a sense of community among the cohort businesses and their
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8f Page 5 of 5
Meeting Date: February 10, 2026
Template revised September 22, 2016.
mentors – allowing for frequent co-learning and resource-sharing within and across industries
and which lasts well past the end of the program.
The Capacity Building Mentorship Program, with its approach to government contracting across
multiple agencies, longer program duration, as well as its intent focus on the individual mentor-
protege relationships, will be an excellent complement to the existing Port Business Accelerator
Program.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING
(1) CBMP Relaunch Interagency Agreement
(2) Presentation
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS
Not Applicable
