Small Businesses and Sustainability in the UT Market Place
Procurement Services is pleased to offer resources to help University departments support small businesses and sustainable procurement. Click on the links below to learn more about these initiatives. Scroll down to the table to learn how to search for small business products and sustainable products in the UT Market Place.
Business Classifications Recognized by the State of Tennessee
- DSBE – Business owned by persons with disabilities
- MBE – Minority-owned business enterprise
- SBE – Small business enterprise
- SDVBE – Service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprise
- WBE – Women-owned business enterprise
Visit the Tennessee Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise’s website to learn more.
State Certifying Agencies
- TN GoDBE – Tennessee Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise
GoDBE certifies Tennessee businesses that are small, minority-owned, woman-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, or owned by persons with disabilities. This is the most important certification to UT because when we report our small and diversity business spend to the state, we are only allowed to report spend with GoDBE certified companies. Currently, GoDBE certifications are the only certifications that we track and report.
- Other States’ Certifying Agencies
Federal Certifying Agencies
- SBA – U. S. Small Business Administration
- Departments of Transportation, including TDOT and other transportation authorities in Tennessee (Uniform Certifying Program or “UCP”)
Independent Certifying Agencies
- MMBC – Mid-South Minority Business Council Continuum
- NMBC – The National Minority Business Council, Inc.
- NMSDC – National Minority Supplier Development Council
- TSMSDC – Tri-State Minority Supplier Development Council, regional affiliate of NMSDC serving Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia
- WBENC – Women’s Business Enterprise National Council
Searching for Diversity-Supplied and Sustainable Products in the UT Market Place
Company Name | Certified small or diversity-owned company? | Diversity Certification(s) | Catalog contains filters for diversity-supplied products? | Instructions to search for diversity-supplied products. | Catalog contains filters for sustainable products? | Instructions to search for sustainable products. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amazon Business | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
Edwards Supply Co., Inc. | Yes | TN GoDBE WBENC TSMSDC | N/A | All products are diversity-supplied. | No | |
Fastenal | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
Fisher Scientific | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
Grainger | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
Graphic Creations | Yes | TN GoDBE | N/A | All products are diversity-supplied. | No | Type "sustainable" in search box. |
MSC Industrial Supply Co. | No | No | Yes | Instructions | ||
Scientific Sales Inc. | Yes | TN GoDBE WBENC TSMSDC | N/A | All products are diversity-supplied. | No | |
SHI | Yes | TN GoDBE WBENC NMBC | N/A | All products are diversity-supplied. | No | |
Sigma-Aldrich (Millipore Sigma) | No | No | Yes | Instructions | ||
Staples Business Advantage | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
Staples Promotional Products | No | No | Yes | Instructions | ||
VWR | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions |