RCEA wants to help California contractors and vendors receive the Supplier Diversity Certification.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) administers the Utility Supplier Diversity Program which requires regulated utilities to establish a program to increase procurement from women-owned, minority-owned, disabled veteran-owned and LGBT-owned business enterprises (WMDVLGBTBEs). The program also requires regulated utilities to submit an annual report summarizing their procurement progress and planned activities to increase supplier diversity in the future.

If you have questions for RCEA about Supplier Diversity, please email supplierdiversity@redwoodenergy.org or call (707)269-1700.

You can read RCEA’s Supplier Diversity Report for 2021 here.

• Regulated utilities establish a program to increase procurement from women-owned, minority-owned, disabled veteran-owned and LGBT-owned business enterprises (WMDVLGBTBEs).
• Regulated utilities submit annual reports

• Official recognition of your Women, Minority, Service Disabled Veteran, or LGBT-owned business enterprise status
• Promotion and visibility to the CPUC and 16 major utility companies
• Inclusion in pertinent marketing and bid announcements events
• Faster contracting process

• Business must be, at least, 51% owned by minority, woman, or LGBT person or persons whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more of those persons
• Go to Supplier Diversity application page
• Certification is free
• Application is reviewed within 4 weeks of submission
• Must renew certification every 3 years

Connect Your Business to California’s Contracting Clearinghouse

This event took place in November 2021. See recording links below.

Small diverse businesses who certify have special access to multimillion $ contract opportunities with utilities, large and small, across the state.

The Redwood Coast Energy Authority is hosting a free webinar to introduce local businesses to the benefits and opportunities available through the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC)  Supplier Diversity program.

If you are a small diverse business owner, we want to help you certify in the CPUC Supplier Diversity program and amplify your business opportunities throughout the state. In this webinar, you will learn about the benefits and opportunities available through this certification and how to access California’s multimillion-dollar utility contracting clearinghouse.

Commonly referred to as “Supplier Diversity,” General Order (GO) 156 is a statewide program that encourages utilities to prioritize contracts and subcontracts from businesses that meet diversity qualifications. To qualify, businesses must be 51% woman-owned; minority-owned; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT)-owned; or disabled veteran-owned enterprises.

After being certified as a diverse supplier, qualified businesses are listed in the CPUC’s Clearinghouse, which utilities can then access for their contracting needs and to meet their contracting quotas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has squeezed our local businesses into even more competitive environments and tighter margins, making Supplier Diversity certification another way to get local businesses noticed and ensure that they stand out among the competition.

RCEA wants to make sure that businesses in our communities are aware of this program, know how to qualify for the Clearinghouse, and get their questions answered by our guest speakers from the CPUC, Pacific Gas & Electric, and a local business like themselves.