The University of California, and UCLA Health, are committed to the small and diverse business community by providing contracting and procurement opportunities with certified Small Businesses (SBs), Microbusinesses (MBs), and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBEs) by using a streamlined quotation process. The quotation-to-award process is designed to make the procurement process easier to encourage participation.
Wherever practicable, the Small Business First program calls for solicitations for the procurement of goods and/or services valued between $10,000 to $250,000 to be awarded to a certified SB/MB/DVBE (with some waivers and exemptions allowed)
For more information on waivers and exemptions, please visit the following link: UC Small Business First program
The informal solicitation process for Small Business First requires:
There is a waiver process for when the Small Business First program is not feasible, or when contracting with other business types is justified.
*There are some exceptions:
Suppliers may reference the listing below of purchase types to view frequently procured supplies and services that are within the scope of the Small Business First program:
UCLA Health strives to provide the maximum opportunity to small and diverse businesses to participate as suppliers and providers of goods and services. UCLA Health has committed to establishing and integrating measurable and effective diversity and inclusion processes into all procurement activities that support strategic sourcing and procurement across all divisions, maximizing the number of small and diverse suppliers in our supplier base.
We encourage small and diverse suppliers to register as a supplier with Supplier.IO which is the supplier database for the entire University of California system. Supplier.IO’s SupplierOne Registration portal enables diverse and small business suppliers to be discovered by over 400 corporations looking for new supplier sources. Suppliers can create free profiles with the information buyers need to know when evaluating companies and products. There is also an option for self-certification. Visit the Supplier.IO site to register: https://uchealth.supplierone.co/
Please note that registering as a vendor does not guarantee a business opportunity.
Prepare to Participate in the Small Business First program
UCLA Health is a member of the Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN). HAN members are mission-driven organizations linked to the well-being of the communities they serve. The long-term goal of the Network is to reach a critical mass of health systems adopting as an institutional priority to improve community health and well-being by leveraging all their assets, including hiring, purchasing, and investment for equitable, local economic impact. By doing so, we can powerfully impact the upstream determinants of health and help build inclusive and sustainable local economies.
UCLA Health Anchor Mission Task Force
The UCLA Health Anchor Mission Task Force is comprised of the following pillars:
The UCLA Health Anchor Mission Task Force has already begun investigating what we as UCLA are doing in each respective space. The task force is also identifying what other members are doing in the HAN space and what could be feasible for UCLA Health. The committee’s strategic vision is to engage with the community to better understand their unique needs and to also identify leaders within the communities of focus that will help us build trust with the community and execute on strategy.
