The Supplier Diversity Program’s mission is to create relationships and contract opportunities for small, local and diverse businesses with the UC Berkeley campus.
The Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator
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Acts as a liaison between small business communities and the campus
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Offers resources to enable departments to find small businesses
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Develops Small Business Subcontracting Plans, when required for federally funded contracts and subcontracts, in collaboration with Principal Investigators and Contract Administrator
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Works with other campuses and the Office of the President to promote and nurture business between the UC campuses and small business vendors.
If your department wishes to purchase goods and/or services from a small business vendor, which has not previously done business with the University, that supplier must complete a Business Information Form(BIF) and fax it to the Vendoring Group at (510) 642-8602.
The BIF information will be entered into BFS, so that:
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Requisitions or purchase orders can be created by departments
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Payment can be made to the supplier
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The Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator can accurately report research project teams’ small business utilization on federal and state reports, as required by awarding agencies
Supplier Diversity Vendor Database to be developed by Procurement Services
This vendor database is currently being designed to house small businesses, including small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, historically Black colleges and universities, Historically Underutilized small businesses (HUBZone), veteran-owned small businesses, service- disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and Alaskan native corporations, that may be certified by a state or federal government certification program or registered as such, with the federal central contractor registration (CCR).
Campus departments will be able to search this database for prospective vendors. These small businesses may be suitable to supply products and services needed by campus units.
What you need to know:
UC Berkeley strongly supports the use of small local businesses to meet campus needs. The Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator works closely with the Strategic Sourcing Department to coordinate University sourcing from a variety of businesses.
Federal Requirements for Federally-Funded Projects
As described in Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR Part 19), federal agencies require that a Small Business Subcontracting Plan (link to template) be created for each award exceeding $550,000.
UC Berkeley Principal Investigators can be awarded either:
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A prime contract with the agency, requiring that a Small Business Subcontracting Plan be submitted to the agency
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A subcontract from another institution or company which has been awarded a prime contract. That prime contractor is also federally mandated to obtain a Small Business Subcontracting Plan from UC Berkeley
At UC Berkeley, the Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator is responsible for preparing the plan in collaboration with each project team receiving an award. In order to create a plan which the federal agency will accept:
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The Coordinator, the Principal Investigator(s) and the Contract Administrator must collaborate on the budget line items for the plan.
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The plan must include percentage goals and the dollar amounts which the project team is required to spend in the specific categories as mandated in the federal contract.The categories will include all or some of the following: women-owned small businesses (WOSB), small disadvantaged businesses (SDB), veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB), service disabled veteran-owned small businesses (DVBE), HUBZone businesses (HUBZone SB), Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI – required only for DoD, NASA, and Cost Guard contracts ), and Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) and Indian Tribes that have not been certified by the Small Business Administration as small disadvantaged businesses, and Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) and Indian Tribes that are not small businesses.
Collaboration on Developing Small Business Subcontracting Plans Works! Communication between the Principal Investigator, the Contract Administrator and the Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator is essential to the process.
The Principal Investigator:
Upon receiving selection or award notification, The Principal Investigator communicates and meets with the Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator and the Contract Administrator to determine how the project can best meet the small business utilization goals mandated by the federal agency.
The Principal Investigator also works with the Contract Administrator to provide sufficient detail to create an accurate summary budget.
The Contract Administrator:
The Contract Administrator works with the Principal Investigator(s) to create a summary budget, including the budget line items required for the Small Business Subcontracting Plan as follows:
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Materials and supplies
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Equipment
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Travel
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Salaries & benefits
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Tuition/fees (if any)
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Indirect Costs
When submitting the summary budget, the Contract Administrator provides a detailed explanation for the items listed above. When submitting the contract plan, the Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator can then make the case for the specific types of items that can be sourced from small business vendors.
The Contract Administrator forwards the budget with an explanation to the Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator, at least two weeks in advance of the date the plan is due to the Federal Agency.
Ensuring Continuous Funding from Federal Agencies
Our Responsibilities for Managing & Monitoring Progress toward Small Business Utilization Goals
The Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator:
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Offers potential small business vendor information for the project team’s consideration
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Provides quarterly BFS queries to PI’s and department administrative staff supporting project activity, so that the the project teamcan track a project’s progress toward the federally required utilization goals throughout the entire contract period.
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Files required federal agency reports, due by March 31st and September 30th. These reports must detail dollar amounts spent by the project team in each of the small business utilization goals areas as established in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan.
NOTE: If the project has spent zero dollars in any of the required subcategories, the Coordinator must explain the actions to be taken to remedy the lack of progress and work with the project team to do so as part of the report.
- The Coordinator must also file a final report at the end of the project, showing total achievement toward the small business utilization goals.
The Principal Investigator:
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When signing off on the Small Business Subcontracting Plan to be submitted, the PI agrees to monitor and make progress toward the federally mandated small business utilization goals throughout the course of the project.
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Demonstrates reasonable efforts to purchase from small businesses and make progress toward meeting the utilization goals.
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Seeks recommendations for appropriate small business vendors to meet target utilization goals from the Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator.
The Contract Administrator:
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Assists the PI by providing periodic updates on whether the project spending includes purchases for goods and services from small and disadvantaged businesses in the mandated subcategories.
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In cooperation with the PI, contacts the Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator for recommendations on potential small business vendors to be used.
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Whenever a proposal to alter the contract is to be submitted, which can include adding an additional phase, extending the date, or increasing the contract dollar amount, the Contract Administrator must work with the Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator to create a modified Small Business Subcontracting Plan to be submitted to the Federal Agency or the prime contractor organization.
Research Grants issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
EPA grants set target utilization goals for only two categories: small women-owned and small minority-owned business enterprises (40 CFR Part 30, 31, 33 and 40 ). They do not require a Small Business Subcontracting Plan.
State Reporting
The Supplier Diversity Program Coordinator from each UC campus must submit an annual State of California report showing small and diverse business utilization for that fiscal year with the Office of the President (UCOP). UCOP then files theReport on Small Business Utilization at the University of California, representing all of the campuses, with the State of California.
For More Small Business Information
Check out these links:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Small Business Subcontracting Plan (for Federally Funded Projects Over $550,000) | 62.5 KB |