The number of small and minority-owned businesses certified for a state supplier diversity program has fallen nearly 33% since 2020, according to data now publicly accessible from the state Department of Administrative Services (DAS).
DAS Commissioner Michelle Gilman announced Friday that her department has launched a new dashboard on the CT Open Data portal that shares statistics on the DAS Supplier Diversity Program.
The program certifies small business enterprise (SBE) and minority business enterprise (MBE) companies. Certification helps these companies “build revenue and find potential new customers through set-asides and inclusion in the state’s economy,” the department said.
According to the dashboard, the state had a combined total of 2,960 SBE and MBE companies certified for the program in 2020, but that had fallen to 1,985 companies by the end of July 2024, a 32.9% decline.
Leigh Appleby, a spokesperson for the agency, said that number had improved slightly to 2,032, a 31.4% decline, as of Aug. 23, and that DAS expects the “number of registrations in 2024 to be similar to those in 2023” by the end of the year.
“Business certifications are a lagging indicator,” Appleby said. “The 2023 numbers are just now showing the impact of the pandemic. We have significantly increased our outreach efforts and partnerships in the past year and are seeing new registrations every day.”
To be eligible for certification, SBE and MBE companies must be Connecticut-based, independently run businesses that are registered as small businesses with the Federal System for Award Management (SAM). MBEs include businesses owned by members of racial or ethnic minorities, women and persons with disabilities.
The dashboard highlights trends within the program that help the agency better understand and manage it, such as identifying geographical areas in the state that are underrepresented in the program, DAS said.
Jennifer Little-Greer, executive director of the Minority Construction Council, said the portal “help us assist non-certified minority businesses and under-utilized business contractors in targeted areas where there is a need to increase outreach.”