Benefits to becoming a State of Florida Certified Minority Business Enterprise (CMBE)
State certification is Florida’s premier stamp of approval for minority and women business entrepreneurs. It is widely accepted across the State of Florida in the private sector as well as cities, counties, school districts, hospitals, water management districts and other quasi governmental entities. Additionally, the certification procedure is one of the most “user-friendly” applications in the State of Florida.
BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION
FIRST TIER REFERRALS are given to minority and women-owned businesses that are certified by the state. This means they are the first tier of businesses referred to state agencies seeking to include supplier diversity as a part of their purchase order and contract opportunities.
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES with major corporations are encouraged as a part of the Office of Supplier Diversity’s (OSD) “Matchmaking” efforts. Vendors certified by the state of Florida have “first stop” status as OSD strives to assist in developing business relationships, which potentially will lead to contract opportunities.
OSD LINK NEWSLETTER created in February 2008, is a fresh tool to keep certified women and minority-owned business enterprises connected with important initiatives, events, and updates on various topics of interest.
RE-CERTIFICATION is simplified for vendors who have registered in MyFloridaMarketPlace and completed the certification process. A signed Affidavit for Recertification is required to be submitted on an annual basis to reduce duplicated efforts.
ON-LINE DIRECTORY on the OSD website lists only state-certified minority and women business enterprises. The directory makes certified minority and women business enterprises available by alpha and commodity code listings to state and local governmental entities, as well as the general public and private-sector corporations.
SPECIAL E-MAILS and other information are disseminated to vendors who appear in the state’s database as certified minority and women-owned businesses. This information could vary from contract opportunities to special events, networking activities and technical assistance training.
VENDOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT is designed to highlight certified minority and women-owned
businesses by industry to a target audience of purchasing agents and decision makers. Certified vendors make presentations at the monthly Diversity Working Group Meeting to introduce their companies and capabilities to several state entities at one time.
SPECIAL DISCOUNTS including gratis admission to events may be offered to state-certified minority and women-owned businesses who participate in educational, outreach and matchmaking activities coordinated by state government and the Office of Supplier Diversity. These activities could include regional workshops, seminars and the Office of Supplier Diversity’s annual MatchMaker Conference and Trades Fair.