Supplier Diversity Newsletter

Greetings Partners,

New OMWBE Certified Businesses

Every month we share a list of the most recent state certified businesses including the business name, contact information, business description, etc. This list is best utilized regularly in combination with OMWBE's Directory of Certified Businesses.

Please contact our Supplier Diversity team for assistance using our online directory, or to schedule a virtual training for your procurement team.

Email: SupplierDiversity@omwbe.wa.gov

Access Equity Open House - Recording Available

On November 16th, 2022 we hosted an Open House to introduce state agencies and institutions of higher education to Access Equity. Thank you to everyone who attended! You can view a recording of the Open House below as well as the slide deck and audio transcript. You can also refer to the Access Equity page on our website for more information.

We will be in touch after the start of the new year to share more information about Access Equity implementation and next steps for 2023.

Email: AccessEquity@omwbe.wa.gov with any questions.

Encouraging Businesses to Get Certified with OMWBE and the Department of Veteran's Affairs

OMWBE needs your help getting the word out to businesses that may be eligible for certification. Some agencies are actively supporting this effort by making the suggestion, asking about potential qualification, and directing business owners to our Certification Page, while other agencies are interested in helping but are looking for guidance.

The Supplier Diversity Team is developing a set of tools and resources to share with businesses. Meanwhile, you can use the template email text below (adapted from text Erin Lopez of the Department of Financial Institutions shared):

Greetings <business name>,

We recognize and appreciate your investment in supporting our state by bidding and working with our agency. Your business might qualify for certification as a minority, woman, or veteran-owned business. We encourage you to consider making the investment of time to complete the state OMWBE certification and/or WDVA certification process. State agencies value this certification and are required to make active efforts to use certified business per Executive Order 22-01.

Please contact OMWBE Technical Assistance if you have questions about eligibility and the certification process.

You can also use this questionnaire (shared by Natalie Eckart of the Office of Financial Management):

Toolkit Workshops

The Supplier Diversity Team recently provided the last Toolkit Workshop for 2022. We discussed strategies for building and maintaining a comprehensive outreach program, an approach developed in partnership with the Department of Enterprise Services. You can access these resources on our website here: Outreach Tools

We will post the toolkit workshop calendar for 2023 in December. Suggestions for topics in the coming year include searching for certified businesses, using process templates, and data collection for spend rep. Please send topics of interest to equitytoolkit@omwbe.wa.gov.

Supplier Diversity Word Search

Needing a little break from your day? Enjoy this word search created by the Supplier Diversity team here at OMWBE. Print out the full page version and see how many words you can find!

If you would like to include others on our distribution list to receive these monthly supplier diversity emails, please let us know at supplierdiversity@omwbe.wa.gov.