Supporting Small and Diverse Businesses

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UC Davis is committed to working with small and diverse businesses. This page provides information on the various types of small and diverse businesses and the benefits of supporting them.

Small Business First Program

The University of California has implemented the Small Business First Program.  This program encourages spend with certified Small Businesses (SB) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE), and is required for many purchases from $10K to $250K.

Please carefully review and bookmark the page on Purchasing Instructions for the Small Business First Program.

The remaining information on this page discusses the diverse business community, comprising small businesses, and so much more!

Benefits of Using Small and Diverse Businesses

The money spent with the small and diverse supplier community goes back into the local community. By supporting these types of businesses, you are also supporting local community infrastructure, including parks, schools, and roads.  The money spent locally stays local.

In some cases, a small and diverse supplier can more quickly fulfill a purchasing request than a larger supplier, and may also fulfill purchasing needs that cannot be met by other types of suppliers.

How You Can Support Small and Diverse Businesses

Use the Business Classification Field When Searching in Aggie Enterprise

When searching for a supplier in Aggie Enterprise, use the Business Classification field on the Manage Suppliers screen.  There are multiple BC (Business Classification) categories that allow a user to locate small and diverse businesses.

Use the State of California Cal eProcure Lookup

The State of California Cal eProcure Lookup can be used to search for certified California small and veteran businesses.

Supplier.io provides options for searching for a small or diverse supplier. 

After identifying and selecting the UC Davis campus from the drop-down menu, log in with your campus login ID and Kerberos passphrase.  Also, refer to the help resources on the University of California website to learn more on using supplier.io.

Sam.gov is a US government website that provides options for searching for federally-certified small and diverse businesses. 

A user account is required before searching against entity (business) registrations.  After you have created a user account on sam.gov:

  • Click on the Search tab, and then enter part of the name for the business in the Search field.
  • In the search results, click on the View Details link for the business you wish to view.
  • Click on Reps and Certs in the menu bar on the left.
  • Scroll down to 52.212-3 or 52.219-1 and click on the provision to view the certifications.

Refer to the List of Small and Diverse Businesses Registered with UC Davis

Refer to the List of Small and Diverse Businesses Registered with UC Davis. This list was last updated in August 2023 and requires a CAS login.  Supply Chain Management maintains this list of suppliers to help assist the campus in locating small and diverse suppliers. Inclusion on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of a particular business, product or service. We encourage you to do your own research to determine which potential suppliers will best meet your needs.

Refer to the Small and Diverse Chambers of Commerce when searching for a supplier

This is also a good way to support local businesses.  Supporting local businesses helps the local economy.  Money spent locally stays local!  Taxes from local business taxes support local infrastructure, including schools, parks, and police and fire departments.  

Chamber of Commerce Business Directory
Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce Membership Directory
Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce Member Directory
Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Member Directory
Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce Member Directory
Davis Chamber of Commerce Business Directory
Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Member Directory

Encourage small and diverse businesses to register with UC Davis 

An online Small and Diverse Business Registration form should be completed by a supplier who comprises one or more of the ownership types described.  This will facilitate future UC Davis procurement relationships with the supplier.

Funding Requirements to Use Small/Diverse Businesses

In addition to the requirements that are part of the Small Business First program, some funds may require the university to purchase from small and diverse businesses.  It is important that you understand and follow the purchasing rules assigned to the type(s) of funds you are using. 

In addition, some state contracts may require the formal consideration of Veteran Owned Businesses. 

Always review the information related to the accounts you are using for a purchase.  Failure to follow the funding source requirements may result in loss of future funding and possible audit findings and/or fines.

Small Business Program Officer

Steven Kobayashi is the Small Business Program Officer for UC Davis.  He can be reached at SmallBusiness@ucdavis.edu or 530-754-1372.  Steven can assist with questions regarding the implementation of the program at UC Davis and best practices for supporting small and diverse businesses.