Office of Supplier Diversity reports process changes, more certified firms and new compliance tools

The Office of Supplier Diversity told the council Oct. 14 it has revised contract language, improved certification and compliance workflows and increased outreach to small, local and disadvantaged businesses.

Director Shawn Charles said the office has implemented monthly compliance audit trackers, an SLDBE application tracker and revised five contract compliance forms to align with program rules and the city’s professional services agreement. He said the office also now issues official SLDBE certificates to newly certified firms and requires newly certified firms to attend the DBE boot camp run with partners at Propeller.

Charles told the council: "We are properly positioning the city to accommodate our small business community in providing more opportunities through such programs as our set aside program." He emphasized a combination of compliance, training and outreach, and said the office processed 206 SLDBE certification applications to date in 2025 and expects an additional 50–80 by year end.

Office staff described other changes adopted this year: a revised proposal scoring process that assigns DBE scoring to OSD rather than to committee members (OSD will evaluate DBE commitments using subject‑matter expertise), a new post‑award contract compliance training made available to prime and subcontractors, and quarterly check‑ins with subcontractors on active contracts. The office reported 48 outreach events in the past year reaching over 800 small businesses.

OSD said it will prioritize aligning SLDBE certifications with both NAICS and NIGP commodity codes to make sure certified firms receive solicitation notices that match local procurement commodity classifications. The office also announced plans to institutionalize the mentor‑protege program and to increase reporting and data integration for oversight.