SUPPLIER DIVERSITY

Each year California utilities (electric, gas, water, telecom) cumulatively spend billions of dollars on goods and services. Through the statewide Supplier Diversity Program – established through General Order 156 and facilitated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) – the state aims to connect an increasing portion of these utility expenditures with certified minority-owned, women-owned, disabled veteran-owned, and/or LGBTQ-owned businesses.

For overview information on the CPUC Supplier Diversity Program, please visit the program homepage.

Getting Certified

CalChoice is committed to providing resources on the Supplier Diversity Program to ensure eligible vendors have the awareness and support they need to pursue certification. CalChoice encourages all eligible parties to get certified with the CPUC through the state clearinghouse.

• For information on the certification process and requirements, please visit the CPUC Certification page.
  • CPUC’s Supplier Clearinghouse Certification Process Overview (PDF)
  • CPUC’s Supplier Clearinghouse Application Document List (PDF)
• To apply for certification, please visit The Supplier Clearinghouse

Identifying Certified Subcontractors

For vendors who hire subcontractors and may have their own Supplier Diversity programs, the Supplier Clearinghouse Certified Directory should be a helpful resource to identify certified leads.

CalChoice’s Reporting

Pursuant to California Senate Bill 255 (2019), Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) are required to report to the CPUC on spend with diverse suppliers, as defined by CPUC General Order 156. 2020 was the first reporting year for CCAs; you can view CalChoice’s Annual Reports below:

• 2020 (PDF) 
• 2021 (PDF)

Doing Business with CalChoice

All vendors can view CalChoice’s contracting opportunities through our Request for Offers page and are encouraged to sign up for email notifications and participate in relevant competitive solicitations. Consistent with the California Public Utilities Code and CPUC policy objectives, vendors that execute a contract with CalChoice will be required to complete a Supplier Diversity Questionnaire to inform some of the statistics CalChoice is required to report pertaining to prime and subcontractors.

As our members are local public agencies, CalChoice seeks to purchase goods and services from certified minority-owned, women-owned, disabled veteran-owned, and/or LGBTQ-owned businesses to the greatest degree permitted by law. For procurements that require a solicitation, potential suppliers may, to the extent permitted by law, receive points for their certified minority-owned, women-owned, disabled veteran-owned, and/or LGBTQ-owned status.

Prop 209 Disclaimer: As a California local government entity bound by California Prop 209, CalChoice is prohibited from considering race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in its contracting and procurement decisions; providing information on certification status and/or use of certified subcontractors will not impact the selection process or good standing of prospective or contracted vendors. Accordingly, in contrast to California’s electrical corporations, CalChoice also does not set Supplier Diversity targets or goals