Mission: We promote equity and increase participation in public contracting and procurement for small businesses owned by minorities, women and disadvantaged persons through education and certification.

Update from the Director

What's New at OMWBE?

Draft Rule Changes

OMWBE is proposing rule changes regarding state certification in order to provide clarification, eliminate unnecessary barriers and restrictions to certification for small businesses, and clarify language and grammar to reflect modern and respectful wording. Click here to see draft rule language, the public hearing date and how to attend, and contact information for submitting comments.

Please note two important dates. Written questions are due by May 9th. A public hearing will be held on May 16th at 9:30 AM.

My Business is Certified, Now What?

Business owners often ask us, “Now what?” They completed our process, they have their business’ state or federal certifications and are wondering what step comes next. While it is not a step-by-step process, here are some helpful tips to keep moving forward.

For doing business with governments,

A. To sell a product or service to government agencies make sure to contact the Washington State Procurement and Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). This statewide program offers no cost, confidential, one-on-one technical assistance in all aspects of selling to federal, state and local governments.

B. Register to receive notifications and apply for contracts. For federal work, that means the System for Award Management ( SAM), for contracting with Washington State agencies that means Washington's Electronic Business Solution (WEBS). Depending on the business, it may be best to be on local registries.

For general marketing and promotion of the business, including doing business with government, try these;

A. Make sure business cards, capabilities statement, web presence (website, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) have relevant information, current contact information, and include your firm's certification type.

B. Have accurate listings for the business. Make sure business contact and description are up to date in registries such as SAM, WEBS, and the OMWBE Directory.

C. Network. Meet people face to face when possible.

D. Ask for Help. There are organizations across the state ready to offer free and low cost business advice, counseling, trainings, loans and more. If you are not sure which organization is in your area, give us a call at 360-664-9763 or visit our list of resources.

2019 Legislative Session

With over one thousand bills starting the first week of legislative session, all agencies were busy assessing the impact of proposed legislation on their work and OWMBE was no exception. Our agency monitored bills that could affect our work supporting small diverse businesses in public contracting and procurement.

Legislative bills most relevant to OMWBE this session ranged from proposals to change public works roster limits, to the creation of an investigation unit within OMWBE, to an update to the Linked Deposit Program, to a change in job order contracting maximums, to the creation of a state equity office.

Customer Service Goals & Update

At OMWBE we are proud of our customer service and strive to make improvements in the certification process. To monitor progress, each applicant is invited to complete a brief survey after they finish the process. We’ve compiled the results and there are many areas to be proud of and some areas for improvement. Wondering how we're doing? Click here for the results.

Did You Know?

Process Improvement – Soon We Can Accept Credit Cards

We strive to make regular improvements to the certification process, especially ones that affect customer service. We’ve heard from stakeholders the need for OMWBE to accept credit card payments for application fees and renewals. We are currently working on this process and hope to roll out this procedure later this year. You will hear more from us in the near future.

OMWBE Resources

Wishing you the best,
Director Lisa van der Lugt and OMWBE Team Members

OMWBE is committed to providing equal access to our services. If you need accommodation, please call 866-208-1064 or WA State Relay 711. We offer free telephone translation services.