Supplier Diversity Newsletter

New OMWBE Certified Businesses

Greetings Partners,

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 Office Hours

The Enterprise Supplier Diversity Contract Compliance team will begin hosting office hours for Access Equity users every other week starting Weds, March 12.

We will send the one-hour invites to all Account Administrators at our partner organizations. Please accept the invites as tentative and only join the meetings if you have questions. Feel free to forward the invites to your Contract Agent and Outreach users. We look forward to answering your questions about using the Contract Compliance and Outreach modules in Access Equity.

As a reminder, Access Equity use is mandatory for fiscal year 2025 (FY 2025) reporting. This is the time to work through any challenges your team is facing.

Supplier Diversity Community of Practice

Building opportunities: How the Supplier Diversity Community of Practice supports small and diverse businesses

For small, diverse, and veteran-owned businesses (SDVBs), securing state contracts may be challenging—but Washington state is working to change that.

The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) launched the Supplier Diversity Community of Practice (SDCP) in 2022 to support procurement professionals and their agencies’ spending with SDVBs. This collaborative group brings together professionals from state agencies, higher education institutions, and other jurisdictions to share best practices, network, and promote equity in public contracting.

While the SDCP primarily helps Washington state agencies comply with the Supplier Diversity Policy and Executive Order 22-01, it is open to procurement professionals from any jurisdiction working to implement supplier diversity programs in their organizations.

Making an impact

The SDCP is helping procurement professionals turn supplier diversity commitments into real opportunities for small businesses by:

• Educating buyers on strategies to increase SDVB participation in state contracts.
• Addressing common barriers preventing small businesses from competing for public contracts.

Since launching, the SDCP has seen consistent engagement and expansion:

• In FY24, an average of 72 people attended the monthly meetings.
• A dedicated Teams channel was introduced in summer 2023 to better track and support members.
• Membership grew by more than 11% in just six months, increasing from 257 in June 2024 to 287 in January 2025.
• The SDCP now includes procurement professionals from:
• 45 Washington state entities
• Seven higher education institutions
• 13 other jurisdictions, including cities, counties, and utility districts

As the SDCP continues to grow, so do the opportunities for SDVBs to connect with buyers who are committed to supplier diversity.

If you are a procurement professional implementing supplier diversity practices and would like to join the SDCP, please contact DESPIEProgram@des.wa.gov.

Black History Month 2025

Black History Month 2025’s theme is African Americans and Labor. The work of Black people has been incredibly impactful and transformational throughout the U.S., in every sector of business, every profession, field, science, area of infrastructure and more.

2025 marks the 100-year anniversary of the creation of Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, by labor organizer and civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph, which was the first Black union to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor.

Follow this link to learn more about the history and impact of Black Labor: ASAHL Black History Themes and visit the links below to find Black History month events in Washington State.

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.