OMWBD outlines 2026 budget, rollout of disparity study and software switch to streamline vendor certification

Director Fredericks, director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, presented the office’s proposed 2026 budget and priorities to the Indianapolis City-County Council Admin & Finance Committee and described program goals including launch of a new vendor-management platform and implementation of the 2025 disparity study.

The office gave a data-driven overview of its work supporting supplier diversity and small, local businesses. Fredericks told the committee the office has reached nearly 1,000 community members and has seen “record breaking increase in certified vendors over the past 5 years” following the 2020 update to the business utilization plan. The presentation included the office’s certification metrics through August 2025: roughly 112 certified vendors, 61 pending certifications, 242 new and recertification applications this year, 166 business and bid consultations, 73 bid opportunities reviewed, 17 site visits and two commercial useful function visits. Fredericks said the average time to certify or…