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2022 Governor's Equity Summit
The Governor's Executive Order 22-02, Achieving Equity in Washington State Government, directs agencies to advance equity and anti-racism in the following areas: Public Contracting, Public Employment, Public Education, and Public Services. The purpose of this summit is to bring community and state government together to lay a strong foundation for achieving equity across Washington state government, now and for generations to come.
Theme: Working Together for Results
Date: Wednesday, November 30th
Time: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Online and In-Person
Greater Tacoma Convention Center (1500 Commerce St, Tacoma WA 98402)
Deadline to register is November 15, 2022 at 5PM (PST).
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Public Contracting Measures Survey
The Washington State Office of Equity is working to dismantle disparities across the state and has asked OMWBE to select the Top 4 Public Contracting Measures that will assist underrepresented businesses. Please take 2-3 minutes to rank the measures that matter most to you. We will use the results of this survey to inform our response to the Office of Equity. We appreciate the insights you have to offer!
The survey will close after Sunday, November 13.
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Save the Date! Eastern & Central Washington BIPOC Business Economic Summit is taking place November 15, 2022 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm via zoom. This Economic Development Summit addresses the needs and disparate treatment of Central and Eastern Washington BIPOC communities, consultants, and contractors in endeavoring to receive equal opportunity and fair treatment for receiving state contracts. Register to receive the event Zoom link.
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University of Washington is offering a unique opportunity for BIPOC businesses to collaborate with top MBA & MPA students to help secure business loans.
The UW Consulting & Business Development Center has teamed up with The Commerce Band of Washington to lend $1M to businesses owned by people of color and others who would otherwise not able to secure a bank loan through Foster Ignition Fund!
PROGRAM TIMELINE
Application Deadline: TBD
Program Begins: Jan 3, 2023
Program Ends: March 7, 2023
Program Cost: FREE
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November is Native American Heritage Month, honoring the sovereignty, resilience, and immense contributions that Native Americans have made to the world. Seattle has two Native Art Markets happening this month where you can support Native American artists and view beautiful handmade arts and crafts.
Native Art Market at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center:
November 19th and 20th: https://unitedindians.org/event/native-art-market-3/
Native Art Market at Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center:
November 25th - 27th: https://www.duwamishtribe.org/.../11/25/native-art-market
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https://www.wahealthplanfinder.org/Don’t miss your chance to get covered for 2023!
It’s open enrollment time. Washingtonians have until Jan. 15 to sign up for health and dental plans on Washington Healthplanfinder for the 2023 plan year.
Cascade Care Savings, a new state subsidy, may further lower an eligible customer’s monthly premium! Choose a Cascade Care Silver or Gold plan and you may qualify for additional savings.
Visit wahealthplanfinder.org to learn more about available savings and find the right plan!
Need help getting covered? We have assisters throughout the state available to help at no cost answer questions, understand tax credits, and sign up for coverage. Visit this link to find an assister near you.
Questions on how you can support your employees sign up for health coverage? Contact smallbusiness@wahbexchange.org.
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Between now and the end of the year, you will see a new name on the Certification Portal. We are changing the title of the portal to Access Equity, instead of the current name 'Business Diversity Management System'. This change will not affect your business, or your certification records with OMWBE.
We are changing the name to align with Governor Inslee's Executive Order 22-01, which directs agencies and institutions of higher education to use Access Equity to track their spending on all contracts which include subcontractors. This will fill an existing data gap where many subcontractor payments are currently going unreported, leading to more accurate data on the portion of Washington State spending going to minority- and women-owned businesses.
No action is required of you—this is a purely informational update.
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New Certifications
92 businesses obtained OMWBE certification in September! We share these monthly lists of newly certified firms with our contract and procurement contacts at State Agencies and Institutions of Higher Education.
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