Message from the Director

We have had a great year at OMWBE and we could not have done it without the partnership of other state agencies and the support of organizations across the state that share our mission to achieve equity and inclusion in contracting. We also have a staff at OMWBE that brings amazing energy and dedication to serving all customers.

As an organization that cares, we strive daily to be responsive to the feedback and goals of small business owners as we assist them in gaining certification so they can pursue public bid opportunities. We have received positive feedback about our assistance to state agencies as they shape inclusion plans and develop new strategies to increase diverse spending.

The care we demonstrate to our partners and customers is embodied within our team as well. I have been thrilled to see our staff adopt the Infants at Work program, which allows parents to work alongside their newborn up to age six months. Since we adopted the program, we have had two infants in the workplace that allowed greater options for employees to return to work while honoring their responsibility as parents. I am also so proud of the team’s generosity when our agency ranks among the highest in per capita donations across state agencies to food and book drives.

In 2020 our work to certify firms will continue and we will develop efficiencies to keep pace with an anticipated increase in applications. I’m proud to share some highlights for this year:

Certifications:
• We changed internal processes and reduced average federal application processing times dramatically. A year ago the average was 164 days, but in November 2019 processing was down to 81 days. This means OMWBE succeeded in its 90-day turnaround goal 83 percent of the time as of November 2019, an improvement from 24 percent in December 2018.
• In July 2019 we launched a credit card payment for certification fees, streamlining the process for business owners.
• By December 1, OMWBE has certified 2,627 firms; of those, 1,240 were federal certifications, 2,259 were state certifications, totaling 3,499.
Linked Deposit Loan Program:
• As of November 14, 264 firms had at least one loan enrolled in the Linked Deposit Program. These loans totaled $128,773,585.
Governor’s Subcabinet on Business Diversity:
• OMWBE delivered information and presentations to more than 20 groups across the state with information about the diversity study and to respond to questions.
Supplier Diversity:
• Consultations on achieving supplier diversity and inclusion plans were held with 63 state agencies, eight higher education institutions, and 22 prime contractors.

Lisa van der Lugt,
Executive Director

Caleb McInvaille leads certification outreach for OMWBE, and as the Linked Deposit Coordinator, works with banks and business owners to help small businesses take advantage of OMWBE’s Linked Deposit Loan Program.

Caleb was attending the Small Business Summit hosted by the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County when a business owner stopped by OMWBE’s table.

The business owner had initiated the process to renew her WBE certification but had become very busy and hadn’t responded to OMWBE’s request for information for several months.

“OMWBE does great work and I don’t want you to think responding wasn’t a priority for me,” she told Caleb. “What can I do to get the certification process started again?”

Caleb let her know that her application had been closed, but all she had to do was contact the analyst she was working with and provide the requested information to get back on track.

The business owner was relieved to learn she wouldn’t have to start her recertification from the beginning.

Certification renewals are much less complicated than the process for initial application and only require the business owner to submit a few simple documents and report any changes.

“The application may seem daunting, but it isn’t as hard as it looks. But if you do have issues, we are happy to work with you and answer any questions you have about the application. We’re here to help make things easier, so use us as a resource.”

If you need help, OMWBE is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Call us at (360) 664-9750 or toll free at (866) 208-1064 or send questions by email to technicalassistance@omwbe.wa.gov. We are also able to assist callers who may have limited English proficiency.