Governor Gregoire Calls for Increased Diversity in Contracting

For Immediate Release: July 24, 2006

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today announced that she has called on Washington agency directors to work with the Office of Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (OMWBE) to improve fair access to contracting and procurement opportunities.

�I believe in fair and competitive access to all contracting and procurement opportunities,� said Governor Gregoire. �We are not doing enough to support these principles. We can and should do better.�

Governor Gregoire in a letter to the cabinet said that minority and women-owned businesses are an integral part of Washington�s community and economy and that state agencies benefit by working with a diverse pool of private contractors.

Washington contracts with certified minority businesses in the last six years have dropped from five percent of total expenditures to less than one percent. State contracts with women-owned businesses dropped from four percent to one percent in the same period.

�I am very concerned about this sharp decline in diversity contracting,� said Governor Gregoire. �While minority and women-owned businesses are flourishing in Washington, our utilization of these businesses has declined.�

For a copy of the Governor�s letter, the OMWBE 2005 Annual Report and the complete OMWBE presentation to the cabinet, visit www.omwbe.wa.gov.

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