Virginia Governor's Executive Order on Supplier Diversity; A Model for Other States?

This week Virginia Governor Mark Warner issued Executive Order 103 revising and expanding the state's program designed to enhance the participation of small, women and minority owned (SWAM) businesses in state contracting.

Dissatisfied by the state's meager progress since a statewide disparity study identified wide gaps between the availability of SWAM businesses and their utilization in providing goods and services to the state, the Governor imposed new requirements on state purchasing officials, including a requirement not to use past experience to exclude suppliers and specific permission to contract with SWAM businesses where they are not the low bid.

Virginia NAWBO chapters helped draft and lobbied for Executive Order 29, signed by the Governor in 2002, which was the first step taken by the Governor to ensure fairness in public procurement.

Women business owners in other states concerned about procurement issues may want to look at the Virginia experience as a model for action in their state capitols.