According to the U.S. Department of Labor, minority-owned businesses represent 24% of eligible businesses for federal contract awards, but they accounted for just 3% of all federal contract awards from 2020-2021.
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Justice and Equity held its second annual Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Connect Summit, aimed at connecting entrepreneurs with agencies offering $400 billion in federal procurement opportunities.
The summit provided insights on how to secure contracts with federal agencies and emphasized economic empowerment and inclusion in the clean energy sector. Over 700 business owners attended the event, which included workshops, panel discussions, and matchmaking sessions with agencies where attendees could discuss application procedures for federal contracts face-to-face.
SoCalGas hosted the summit at the company’s Energy Resource Center in Downey and participated in matchmaking meetings with attendees about opportunities to contract with the company.
SoCalGas is a proponent of supplier diversity and recently committed to a 2023 annual spend of $1.02 billion with more than 600 diverse businesses, aligning with its goals for the clean energy transition and supporting California’s net emissions objectives.