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Ohio Meets 15 Percent Minority Business State Purchasing
Goal for Fourth Year
For the fourth consecutive year, the State of Ohio has
exceeded the goal of its Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
program. During Fiscal Year 2018, the state purchased 21.63
percent of eligible goods and services through certified
minority-owned businesses, while spending more than $268
million.
Ohio’s MBE program, established in 1980, mandates that state
agencies set aside 15 percent of annual purchases for goods
and services from certified minority-owned businesses.
Governor John Kasich has made achieving the 15 percent
mandate a priority during his administration. Since 2011,
the state has made steady progress in identifying set-aside
opportunities, certifying minority-owned businesses and
matching them with state contract opportunities, reaching
the 15 percent set-aside goal for the first time in 2015.
“We are pleased to report that Ohio has met its 15 percent
set-aside goal for the fourth consecutive year. Governor
Kasich challenged us to make reaching this goal the norm and
we have succeeded in doing so,” said Pamela Osborne, state
equal employment opportunity coordinator and interim deputy
director of the Equal Opportunity Division of the Ohio
Department of Administrative Services, which certifies
businesses into the MBE program.
“Continuing to provide the resources to minority business
owners allows them to grow their businesses, create jobs and
participate in a strong and vibrant Ohio economy,” said
Jeffrey L. Johnson, chief of the Minority Business
Development Division at the Ohio Development Services
Agency.
Out of the eligible expenditures for goods and services
purchased during Fiscal Year 2018, 18.86 percent was set
aside for MBE-certified businesses. Another 2.78 percent of
eligible goods and services were purchased from MBE-certified
businesses through open-market contracts.
Ohio’s Equal Opportunity Division oversees the MBE program
and helps to ensure equal opportunity access to and fair
treatment in government contracting. It strives to maximize
contracting opportunities through certification of
minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned and socially and
economically disadvantaged businesses.
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