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“This presentation will share the efforts of the State of Washington to increase state spending with Washington small businesses, including those certified with the Office of Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises and those certified with the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs. Topics will include how these efforts came to be, how implementation is going, and how we plan to continue these efforts in the future.”

Presented by Ernesto Perez (he/him), Supplier Diversity Policy Program Manager, DES

Ernesto leads the effort to implement the supplier diversity policy in state contracting to ensure it lasts well into the future. He understands the procurement process of each agency the policy applies to, so that agencies receive individualized guidance and support to implement the policy into their procurement process. He also collaborates with OMWBE, Office of Equity and other teams within DES to create and consolidate templates, examples, and resources agencies can use to assist in implementing the supplier diversity policy.  Ernesto also conducts outreach to businesses in English and Spanish to increase their knowledge about state contracting.