A. There is hereby created the "Oklahoma Supplier Diversity Initiative", which shall be a state-sponsored supplier diversity program to provide a resource for state agencies and private businesses to utilize diverse firms in procurement opportunities to encourage growth in the economy of the state. The program shall provide convenience for qualified and certified small business enterprises and minority business enterprises in contracting projects in underserved areas.
B. The program shall allow diverse business enterprises to register with the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and allow registered vendors to be automatically notified of opportunities to do business with the state for specific commodities. The program shall provide for simplified vendor registration processes.
C. The program shall authorize the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to develop a diversity certification program to qualify and certify diverse business enterprises for the state.
D. To qualify for the program, businesses shall have less than five hundred total employees, an annual revenue equal to or less than Twenty-five Million Dollars ($25,000,000.00) and be certified as one of the following:
1. An Oklahoma Department of Transportation Disadvantaged Business Enterprise;
2. Any of the following entities certified by the United States Small Business Administration:
3. A Native American-owned Business; or
4. A Veteran-owned Business.
E. The Central Purchasing Division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall:
1. Amend the vendor registration process to require diversity certification check off and size standard information; and
2. Create a search tool for all state agencies and public or private entities to utilize to obtain contact information for diverse firms for the purpose of promoting procurement opportunities within the state.
F. On or before September 1 of each year, the State Purchasing Director shall submit a report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate on the status of the percentile of state funds expended on contracts awarded to a certified Oklahoma Department of Transportation Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and all of the entities certified by the United States Small Business Administration mentioned in subsection D of this section in the preceding fiscal year. The report may include related economic impacts when applicable. The report, statistics or other information concerning the participation in the program shall be retained by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
G. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce shall promulgate rules to create and administer the Oklahoma Supplier Diversity Initiative.
Added by Laws 2021, c. 476, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2021.