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 Update

We had just a couple questions at the Office Hours in October to share with you!

Q: Can a prime contractor add a vendor or subcontractor in Access Equity if that vendor doesn’t already have an account?

A: Ideally, subcontractors should create their own accounts. However, a prime may initiate the process by entering the subcontractor’s email — this sends them a link to complete their own registration and set a password. The prime cannot fully create the account on their behalf.

Q: Are there training videos available for subcontractors who are new to the Access Equity system without an account?

A: Subcontractors can access training videos only after logging into the system. Outside of that, the user guides are available for general reference at Access Equity Help Center. Most external Access Equity trainings are nationwide, so not all content applies to Washington State users.

On another note, the holidays are coming and it looks like most of our Office Hours meetings won’t be affected. However, we have canceled the meeting on December 31, so December 17 will be our last one of 2025! We’ll resume the meetings on January 14, 2026.

A Word from the Assistant Director of Supplier Diversity

Keeping Your Agency's Contact Information Up to Date Matters

Accurate contact information is one of the simplest and most important ways your agency can support Washington state's supplier diversity efforts.

When we don’t have current names, roles, and email addresses for your procurement, contracts, and finance contacts, it slows down:

• Sharing spend reports
• Flagging potential issues early
• Inviting the right people to trainings, office hours, and roundtables
• Coordinating statewide initiatives and meeting Executive Order and RCW expectations

Up-to-date contacts help ensure the right people in your agency receive:

• Annual reporting instructions from OMWBE
• Supplier diversity spend reports for review and approval
• Invitations to learning opportunities and communities of practice

What We Need From You

Please take a few minutes to confirm that your agency’s supplier diversity contacts are current:

• Primary Supplier Diversity Contact
• Backup contact (for when the primary is out of office)
• Data/reporting contact (if different)
• Contracts/compliance contact (if different)

If there have been recent staffing or role changes, now is the perfect time to update your information.

How to Update Your Contacts

Please send updated contact information (name, title, email, and role area) to: supplierdiversity@omwbe.wa.gov

You can also include a short note like:

• “Primary contact for supplier diversity and spend reports”
• “Backup contact for trainings and meetings”

Keeping this information current helps us serve you better, reduces back-and-forth, and strengthens our shared work to ensure public spending is fair, transparent, and accessible to certified small, minority-, and women-owned businesses.

Happy Holidays!

As winter approaches, the Supplier Diversity team here at OMWBE would like to send warm wishes for safe and happy holidays as you travel, spend time with friends and family, and celebrate what the season means to you and your loved ones.

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.