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

Looking Back and a Look Ahead

It’s always fun to look back at the last year and reflect on accomplishments and lessons learned. 2022 was transitional for many of us, and the Toolkit Program was no exception. Executive Order 22-01 started off the calendar year and set expectations for agencies to use the Tools for Equity in Public Spending. EO 22-01 also requires OMWBE to implement Access Equity to monitor spend.

The Supplier Diversity Team supported Toolkit adoption by contacting agencies to discuss use of the tools and to learn which agencies have room for improvement and which could serve as role models. To support electronic data collection, the Supplier Diversity Team worked with a pilot group of agencies and universities to configure, test, and roll out the Access Equity system, anticipating a wider system rollout in 2023. Learn more about the project here: Access Equity

The Supplier Diversity Team continued to grow our partnerships with DES and WDVA, moving towards more alignment on terminology, guidance, shared presentations, and info sessions. The Toolkit Program facilitated workshops on using the tools, inviting subject matter experts from various agencies to share best practices that procurement teams can implement.

Toolkit Program goals for 2023 include increasing consulting services to provide individually tailored support to agencies, updating the Toolkit resources on our website, and supporting the wider rollout of Access Equity. We will continue to provide workshops on each of the tools throughout the coming year.

View the 2023 Toolkit Workshop calendar and register here:

Phase 1 Launch and 2023 Update

As we approach the new year, we are preparing for the Phase 1 Launch of Access Equity. The agency and university staff involved in this phase of the project will be participating in Contract Compliance and Outreach module training in January 2023. The Phase 1 Launch will serve as a baseline for our future efforts with all other organizations in Phase 2 and Beyond.

For those of you who attended the Access Equity Open House in November, you may recall that we will be reaching out after the new year to share more information about future phases including a timeline of what to expect in 2023.

We look forward to continuing this work, and the new relationships we will build Phase 2 participants in the new year!

Happy Holidays from OMWBE!

Wishing you all the joys of the season and happiness throughout the coming year!

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.