Supplier Diversity Digest: A newsletter from the Office of Supplier Diversity
April 2017
We Want to Meet You!

The Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD) is proud to advocate for Florida’s woman-, veteran- and minority-owned businesses through activities, outreach and educational programs. These efforts help OSD foster positive working relationships between the vendor community and state, local and regional government entities, state universities and more, ensuring these critical stakeholders understand the others' needs and business processes. Most importantly, such outreach allows OSD to meet YOU—small business owners!

If you haven’t already met OSD in person, here’s your opportunity to meet us and talk one-on-one about your needs. An OSD representative will be conducting a presentation and will be available to address your questions at these upcoming events:

  • April 20: University of Florida Small Business Workshop (Gainesville)
  • April 27: University of Florida Vendor Fair (Gainesville)
  • May 5: Government Small Business Conference ‒ Florida SBDC at University of South Florida (Tampa)
  • May 11: Small Business Summit ‒ Small Business Administration (Jacksonville)
  • May 12: Moffitt Supplier Diversity Day Vendor Fair,  Event Flyer (Tampa)
  • May 17: OSD & FSU Wednesday Workshop Series for Small Businesses (Q2), Event FlyerREGISTER HERE (Tallahassee)
  • May 25: SBDC UCF Matchmaking (Tampa)

To view the full list of OSD events, visit OSD’s Events page.

Supplier Diversity Exchanges

Thank you to the attendees, speakers, collaborators and participating entities of the recent Pensacola and Jacksonville Supplier Diversity Exchanges! We hope you enjoyed the events and found them to be productive.

Stay tuned for more upcoming Supplier Diversity Exchanges: 

  • *NEW* Fort Lauderdale Supplier Diversity Exchange ‒ August
  • Tallahassee Supplier Diversity Exchange ‒ October
  • Orlando Supplier Diversity Exchange ‒ November
Be  sure to check out information on these events on the  OSD Events page . 
 “It was an awesome event! They delivered an information filled program that left you craving more. Completely excited about my next steps! And can't wait for the next one.”

Pensacola Supplier Diversity Exchange Attendee


“If I could only attend one event a year, this would be the one.”

Jacksonville Supplier Diversity
Exchange Attendee


Small Business Update
Provided by the Florida SBDC Network

March marked National Procurement Month, a time to celebrate the value public procurement creates for communities and the state. Every level of government buys goods and services, spending billions of dollars annually, even during times of economic uncertainty and reduced spending. As part of the Florida SBDC’s Government Contracting Service offering, the network provides expert guidance and support to help small businesses prepare for, research and bid on contracts from the Department of Defense, other federal, state and local agencies and prime contractors. In 2015, the network assisted businesses in acquiring more than $301 million in government contracts.

The Florida SBDC recently produced an online training video entitled Introduction to Government Contracting for businesses interested in doing business with the government. The video provides a basic understanding of what government contracting entails and steps to follow to win awards. To watch the video, please click here.

For more information regarding the Florida SBDC Network’s Government Contracting Services, please click here

During March’s Florida Advisory Council on Small and Minority Business Development meeting, Angie Martin, Bureau Chief of Vendor Relations in the Department of Financial Services, spoke about the agency’s Vendor Ombudsman Program. She explained how the program helps vendors with payment information and provided the below information on services available to vendors:

Vendor Ombudsman – Assists with payment information
Phone: 850-413-5516
Website: http://flair.dbf.state.fl.us/dispub2/cvnhphst.htm

Vendor Management – Assists with completing the State of Florida Substitute Form W-9 and inquiries about Form 1099
Phone: 850-413-5519
Website: https://flvendor.myfloridacfo.com/

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) ‒ Assists in setting up direct deposit for payments
Phone: 850-413-5517
Direct Deposit Authorization Form:
http://www.myfloridacfo.com/Division/AA/Forms/DFS-A1-26E.pdf

 Provided by Veterans Florida

Almost half of World War II veterans came home and started their own businesses, leading to one of the greatest periods of economic prosperity in American history. Today's veterans have the same tenacity, skills and mindset necessary to start their own businesses.

The Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program offers tuition-free, online and on-campus instruction in the nationally-recognized Lean Startup method. If you think you have what it takes, Veterans Florida is accepting signups for our wait list for the 2018 class.

Apply today at entrepreneur.veteransflorida.org.

MyFloridaMarketPlace

If you’re interested in doing business with the State of Florida and want to learn how to respond to solicitations from Florida agencies, these upcoming MyFloridaMarketPlace trainings are perfect for you:

  • Responding to Electronic Solicitations: April 11, 2:00 p.m. ‒ 3:00 p.m., Webinar, REGISTER HERE
  • MFMP for Vendors: April 18, 9:30 a.m. ‒ 11:30 a.m., Lake City, FL, REGISTER HERE
  • MFMP for Vendors: April 19, 2:00 p.m. ‒ 4:00 p.m., Lake City, FL,  REGISTER HERE
Current Bid Opportunities
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Looking for contract opportunities? In addition to the State of Florida's Vendor Bid System, the Office of Supplier Diversity shares bid announcements from cities, counties, universities, colleges and more. Visit OSD's Vendor Resource Announcement page to see what current bid opportunities are posted. Listings are updated frequently —so bookmark the page and visit us often. 

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The content of this newsletter is intended to serve as informational only.  It should not be construed as business advice or an endorsement of any particular organization by the Office of Supplier Diversity or the Florida Department of Management Services.