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About OMWBE

The Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises leads the Statewide M/WBE program as the sole agency that certifies minority- and women-owned business enterprises to participate in public contracting and procurement. This program includes a comprehensive certification process, small business support services, and the Supplier Diversity team that works with the Governor’s Subcabinet on Business Diversity, state agencies, and institutions of higher education to instill equitable and inclusive purchasing practices.

These efforts help small businesses owned by minorities, women, and veterans to obtain more government contracts which strengthens our communities, makes our economy more resilient, and improves the quality of life for all Washingtonians.

Our Purpose

To be a vital and trusted resource for businesses owned by minorities, women and other under-represented communities to gain access, visibility, and contracting opportunities in procurement. We work to promote equity in how Washington State spends its resources in the private sector by eliminating barriers to equitable participation in public spending and contracting.

Our Mission

To create and implement programs that provide maximum opportunity for participation of businesses owned by minorities, women, and other under-represented communities in public contracting.

Our Vision

OMWBE is dedicated to:

  • Eliminating systemic and institutional oppression in contracting in the State of Washington;
  • Driving innovation, strengthening, and diversifying overall statewide economic growth;
  • Empowering public entities to recognize and embrace the value of minority, women, and other under-represented communities’ owned businesses

Our Values

The guiding principles of OMWBE are diversity, equity, and inclusion. We recognize that inequalities and privileges exist which are caused by differences in race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, ability, religion, region, veteran status, citizenship status, and nationality.  We intentionally recognize, represent, and respect these differences.

These values guide every interaction we have at OMWBE both internally and externally:

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: We are an anti-racist organization committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in public contracting and procurement for businesses owned by minorities, women, and people facing systemic disadvantages. We actively develop and practice cultural competency in our work with customers, communities, and team members.

Integrity: We uphold accountability and transparency within our agency and with the public to support the economic vitality of Washington State by ensuring all businesses have competitive access to business opportunities created by public spending. We prioritize building trust with our customers and the public.

Respect: We are human-centered and inclusive in our agency and with our partners. We behave in ways to actively further the values of the organization and live these values every day. We create an environment where employees are unafraid to speak up, share ideas, and address issues.

Excellence: We keep customers at the heart of our decisions to deliver exceptional service. We build teams with the right skills, attitudes, and work ethic to achieve our goals. We create a productive and positive environment by working together. We take action and make decisions that align with our agency’s mission, values, and goals. We are all responsible for OMWBE’s success.

Recent Reports

View OMWBE's most recent Annual Reports