Press Release: State Supplier Diversity Reaches New Record

STATE OF WISCONSIN

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION

Tony Evers, Governor

Kathy Blumenfeld, Secretary-designee

State Supplier Diversity Reaches New Record

Wisconsin exceeded diverse spending threshold for second year in a row

Madison, Wis. – Today, the Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary-Designee Kathy Blumenfeld announced a new record in state diversity contracting efforts, exceeding statewide goals of spending five percent of state dollars with minority-owned enterprises (MBEs) for the second year in a row. As part of the larger Wisconsin Supplier Diversity Program FY21 Annual Report released today, the state announced a 6.34 percent total spend with MBEs and disabled veteran-owned businesses (DVB), the highest recorded share of overall state spending since the program began in 1983.

The Supplier Diversity Program certifies MBE, DVB and woman-owned enterprises (WBE) to provide better opportunities for doing business with the State of Wisconsin. Certified MBE and DVB businesses may receive a five percent bid preference when they bid on state contracts, per state statute.

“Contracting and working with diverse businesses is a key component of economic equity, job and wealth creation in diverse communities,” said SDP program director Tondra Davis. “Not only have we met the MBE spend goal two years in a row, we have also reached a new record high of 6.34% and record $192M spend with diverse businesses, while expanding education and other opportunities for business owners across the state.”

Additional FY21 diverse spending highlights include:

• 6.75 percent for general procurement
• 2.97 percent for construction, and
• 7.16 percent for architecture and engineering

“The Supplier Diversity Program is just one example of Governor Tony Evers’ commitment to creating opportunity and building an economy that works for all Wisconsinites,” said DOA Secretary-designee Blumenfeld.  “I’m grateful for the hard work and dedication of the Supplier Diversity team under the leadership of Tondra Davis, and all the ways we’re working to support diverse businesses to help them succeed.”  

DOA will host a free webinar on Wednesday, June 29 at 4pm, to provide information on the certification and state bidding process, cover tips and instructions on how to navigate the contracting process, and answer additional questions. The webinar will be open to all Wisconsin business owners and will be recorded.   

For more information about the supplier diversity program, to view the FY21 report, and register for the upcoming webinar, visit: SupplierDiversity.gov.