Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Commissioner Michelle Gilman today announced the launch of a new dashboard on the CT Open Data portal sharing statistics on DAS’s Supplier Diversity Program.
Connecticut's Supplier Diversity Program (data.ct.gov)
The Supplier Diversity Program certifies small business enterprise (SBE) and minority business enterprise (MBE) companies. Certification opens valuable avenues towards economic growth by helping companies build revenue and find potential new customers through set-asides and inclusion in the Connecticut economy.
The dashboard highlights trends within the DAS Supplier Diversity Program that help the agency better understand and manage the program. For example, the dashboard can help identify geographical areas in the state that are underrepresented in the Program, and therefore where additional outreach could be useful. The dashboard also helps ensure transparency for the public around the Supplier Diversity Program, and it provides a space for those interested in working with small and/or minority businesses to find and contact relevant firms in their geographic location.
Data sets on the dashboard include:
- Certified Businesses Across the State of Connecticut
- Certified Businesses by Town
- Certified Businesses by Products and Services
- And SBE and MBE Breakdowns by race, ethnicity, gender, and disability status.
“Transparency in state government is always important. Now, we can show the statistical details of the Supplier Diversity Program, search the data, and present it visually for ease of use and understanding,” said DAS Commissioner Michelle Gilman. “We are proud of the broad geographic reach of the program, as demonstrated by the dashboard, but there is always more work to be done. Our Supplier Diversity Program is certifying small businesses and crisscrossing the state with its outreach initiatives. Small businesses are a major part of our state’s economy and DAS looks forward to enrolling and certifying more and more Connecticut businesses.”
“The State of Connecticut’s New Open Data Portal will be a great resource for the Minority Construction Council. This Portal will help us assist non-certified minority businesses and under-utilized business contractors in targeted areas where there is a need to increase outreach,” said Jennifer Little-Greer, Executive Director of the Minority Construction Council.
The Supplier Diversity Program currently has 1,985 certified businesses, with 1,105 (56%) classified as MBEs and 880 (44%) classified as SBEs. Of certified MBEs, 317 (29%) are Black American-owned, 187 (17%) are Hispanic American-owned, 90 (8%) are Asian American or Pacific Islander-owned, 26 (2%) are Iberian Peninsula-owned, 10 (1%) are American Indian owned, and 475 (43%) have no race or ethnicity identified. A total of 662 (60%) of certified MBEs are women-owned. Of those with no race or ethnicity identified, 462 (42%) are woman-owned and 13 (1%) are owned by persons with a disability.
To be eligible for certification, SBEs and MBEs must be CT-based, independently run businesses, and registered as small with the Federal System for Award Management (SAM). MBEs include businesses owned by members of racial or ethnic minorities, women, and persons with disabilities.
Commissioner Gilman expressed her thanks to the Office of Policy Management data team for their expertise and collaboration in visualizing DAS’s Supplier Diversity story.
