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2005 Best Practices to Enhance SB/DVBE Participation

Opportunity

The Department of General Services (DGS), Procurement Division (PD), Office of Small Business (SB) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Services, or OSDS, is the administering agency for the State's SB/DVBE Programs. OSDS and the PD Communication and Outreach Unit provide guidance to help State and local government agencies achieve participation goals of 25 percent for SBs and at least 3 percent for DVBEs. Support from the Governor's office is enthusiastic and strong, as evidenced by the September 2005 appointment of Dennis Trinidad as the Statewide SB Advocate in the Governor's Office. Support from Agency executives down to anyone who issues a contract, purchase order, or uses a State credit card is needed to continue participation improvement.

SARA best practices

The October 2005 State Agency Recognition Award (SARA) Winners provide some best practices to improve SB/DVBE participation (see table below):
Award Winners Best Practices
Award : Agency Best Practices
Gold: Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 11
  • Create website to promote SB/DVBE program, increase awareness of sponsored events, share vital program information, and provide links to DGS' OSDS and current events
  • Provide easier access to bid opportunities and bid results
  • Feature a small business owner to promote visibility and provide free networking opportunities every quarter
  • Offer information and benefits on becoming certified, and certification applications
  • Link vendors with necessary forms and contact phone numbers
  • Provide outreach/education/awareness to all management and staff, and the small business community
  • Provide a database of SB/DVBEs for buyers and bidders
  • Facilitate partnerships of large vendors with SB & DVBEs to successfully subcontract on large projects
Silver: Department of Consumer Affairs
  • The SB/DVBE Advocate generates a product/service report that identifies needs for each of the 59 programs, then identifies SB/DVBE vendors to meet those needs
  • DCA program staff contact information is given to the appropriate vendors for future business opportunities
  • Conduct outreach events & work individually with SB/DVBEs to bridge the programs and vendors together
  • Focus internally on each of the 59 programs achieving the required participation goals, and rewarding them with an award to display
Bronze: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
  • CDCR Headquarters SB/DVBE Advocate conducts surveys within the department to identify qualified DVBE firms and establish a pool of businesses that can service the unique needs of the department
  • Internal survey provided to every CDCR facility Advocate, contracting, and procurement staff to identify at least one qualified DVBE commodity supplier and one DVBE service provider that were successfully doing business at their location
  • Increase administrative support of the DVBE program
  • Collaborate efforts involving attending and sharing information from SB and DVBE Advisory Council meetings, Quarterly Advocate meetings, and DGS Customer Forums

Other best practices

In addition to the winners, other SARA nominees had good ideas as shown below (duplicates have been omitted):
  • SB/DVBE Advocates place high importance on diligently attending all meetings that pertain to the SB/DVBE program to remain up-to-date with new policies, changes, trends, laws and regulations
  • Develop an SB/DVBE module within department's Business and Fiscal Training Program to encourage participation, and promote SB/DVBEs in CAL-Card, Purchasing, and Administrative Officers training
  • Vendors are encouraged to complete the certification process in order to increase the number of vendors available for SB/DVBE procurement opportunities
  • When purchasing from CMAS contracts, SBs must be considered first.
  • Create a bid form to facilitate participation of SB/DVBEs, standardize the bid process, and comply with state rules
  • Advocates review each purchase order prior to award. If a SB/DVBE is not chosen, market research is done to see if a SB/DVBE could provide the goods being requested at a competitive rate. If SB/DVBEs are found, this vendor information is then passed on for future purchases
  • Conduct a one-day educational and networking event to outreach to the small and disadvantaged businesses wishing to do business. The event consists of both an educational presentation and face-to-face networking opportunities between potential suppliers and buyers with real current and future needs
    • The educational portion of the program consists of two parts:
      1. General "how to do business" (e.g., bidding, contracting, invoicing, etc.) &
      2. Specialized subjects (e.g., bonding, how to obtain insurance, specific program requirements, how to obtain certification, etc.)
    • The networking portion consists of a "reverse vendor" fair, with the buyers staffing booths, allowing potential suppliers to meet purchasing staff to discuss projects in both general and specific terms.
  • Vendors contacting the SB/DVBE Advocate for future business opportunities receive a faxed list of organizational units in the agency while also having their company name placed in an agency vendor listing.

Other resources

Each year, the SARA nominations are posted on the OSDS Web site . Each quarter, the DGS-PD Communication and Outreach Unit hosts meetings for SB/DVBE Advocates to share information. Staff is available to assist you in understanding the Web resources or discussing ideas. Call (916) 375-4900 and speak to any member of the Outreach staff or for more technical issues, call OSDS at (916) 375-4940.

Challenge

What can you do to enhance SB/DVBE participation in all contracts?
Updated : 10/2/2007