Procurement Services maintains a collaborative relationship with the UW Business Diversity Program (BDP) and the State of Washington Department of Enterprise Services (DES).  Together, we are committed to providing outreach and training to businesses, large or small who are interested in doing business with the University and other state agencies.

  • If you are a UW department searching for a small and or/diverse business:
    • Visit the UW Contracts Search  (Note: information in the contract search only includes information as of July 2023) search under the category Small and Diverse Suppliers and select either OMWBE Certified or Federal SBA. (access requires UWNetid)
    • Review this list of a few small businesses registered in Workday you may want to consider when making purchases. 
    • Visit the DES Contracts page and search Contracts with diverse businesses
    • If unable to locate an OMWBE or other diverse supplier with or without a contract, contact a Procurement Service Category/Commodity Expert to discuss your purchase.
    • Visit the OMWBE Directory of Certified Firms
    • Visit The SBA Dynamic Small Business Search site and search for small and diverse businesses
    • Visit the VetBiz database contains U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Veterans Enterprise online directory of Veteran-Owned (VOSB) and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVOSB) small businesses.
    • Visit the Federal Government GSA eLibrary to search for diverse vendors. While the University can only purchase IT, security, and law enforcement products and services offered through specific Schedule Special Item Numbers (SINs), you may locate a business to use for small dollar purchases. See GSA Multiple Award Schedule.
    • If you are a supplier that is already certified by the state, please ensure you are registered in Washington Electronic Bidding System WEBS to receive notices about bidding opportunities.
  • If you are a supplier interested in OMWBE certification, please contact the State of Washington Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise OMWBE.