Specialties
Supplier Diversity/Small Business First
Supplier Diversity
UCI Health is committed to working with small and diverse businesses where possible. 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.
These efforts will also enable UCI Health to support the goals outlined in the UCOP Sustainable Procurement Policy, which includes a goal of reaching 25% spend with Economically and Socially Responsible (EaSR) suppliers as a total percentage of addressable spend within five (5) fiscal years from initial UCOP effective date (August 2018). EaSR Spend is defined as spend on products or services supplied by a business holding at least one of the UC-recognized classifications or certifications listed below.
Business Classifications:
- Small Business Enterprise (SB/SBE)
- Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
- Women-owned Business Enterprise
- Minority Business Enterprise
- Veteran-owned Business Enterprise
Service Disabled Veteran-owned Business Enterprise (DVBE)
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.
This information page provides information on the UCOP Small Business First Program as well as how to access existing small/diverse vendors that are in Premier and accessing potential small/diverse businesses in specific categories/industries.
More information regarding the 25% EaSR policy can be found at UCOP Sustainable Procurement Guidelines.
Small Business First Program – UCOP
The University of California is committed to providing contracting and procurement opportunities with certified Small Businesses (SBs), Microbusinesses (MBs), and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBEs). Wherever practicable, the Small Business First program calls for solicitations for the procurement of goods and/or services valued between $10,000 to $250,000 to be awarded to a certified SB/MB/DVBE (with some waivers and exemptions allowed). For additional information, please see the UC SB First Memo issued by UCOP.
Requirements: Beginning September 1, 2020, all UC contracts and procurements between $10,000 to $250,000 that cannot be procured via an existing strategically-sourced agreement, should be awarded to a SB/MB/DVBE under the ‘Small Business First’ Program.
The informal solicitation process for Small Business First requires:
- One quote from SB/MB/DVBE a for purchases below $100,000
- Two quotes SB/MB/DVBE for procurement above $250,000
Purchases Exempt from UC Small Business First Program:
- Medical and patient care
- Purchases that are sole source/unique professional services/emergency
- Purchases through existing strategically-sourced agreements (Vizient GPO/Local/UCOP/UC Health Contracts)
- Other exemptions not applicable to UCI Health (see UCOP SB First Website)
Procurement has developed a listing of purchase types by object codes that are not exempt from SB First. For these types of purchases, requesters may purchase from the vendor for which a strategically-sourced contract exist. Requesters may use the links below to locate available agreements or contact a strategic sourcing professional to assist with locating available agreements for specific categories. See the Division Phone List for contacts.
Purchases NOT Exempt from UC Small Business First Program: Click on hyperlink to review a list of purchase types by object code that are not exempt from SB First.
Links to listing of strategically-sourced agreements:
- UCOP Systemwide Contract Listings
- UC Health Systemwide Contract Listing
Small Business First Waiver:
Purchases that do not meet any of the above exemptions will be required to comply with SB First. Certain circumstances may justify not complying with SB First, including:
- Industries where at least two (2) SBs or DVBEs are not available; or
- Business needs that dictate requirements that cannot be met by a SB/DVBE.
There is a waiver process when the Small Business First program is not feasible, or when contracting with businesses other than a certified small or disadvantaged business is justified. In these situations, the waiver must be approved by the Policy Exception Authority prior to making a purchase or establishing a contract with a company that is not an SB/DVBE.
Links:
Searching Small and Diverse Businesses
Requesters can search businesses via the following methods:
- View Premier Small and Diverse Business Listing
- Search the State of California Cal eProcure
Website: https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/PublicSearch/supplier-search.aspx - UC’s designated diverse supplier search tool: Supplier IO