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How to score a contract with PG&E or AT&T

I wrote a news story about PG&E's sponsored "Supplier Diversity and Matchmaking Workshop" that was held at their San Francisco office recently. Click on http://globalnation.inquirer.net/region/americas/view/20090730-217903/Fil-Am-businesses-get-boost-from-CA-agencies
for my complete story on Inquirer.net.

I go in detail on how small businesses and businesses owned by minorities, women, and disabled veterans can gain access to contract opportunities with utility giants such as Comcast and AT&T through state certification.

Listing on this major certification database is free but only 3,000 California businesses are in the directory which tells me that this valuable and reputable resource is largely unknown to small business owners. Basically its THE go to bible that these big companies first reach for when they need quality contractors.

You may be thinking, what kind of services can I provide to PG&E? The electric/natural gas giant may not be your target market but they may need to contract with a printing company to create their newsletters. Or your company can subcontract with their main contractor. The partnering and networking opportunities are endless.

But what about start ups? I've met many aspiring and current entrepreneurs at various industry events in the Bay Area. Are they aware of the "Supplier Diversity Programs"? PG&E, AT&T, Verizon and Comcast's websites explain the process pretty thoroughly, some have calendar of events, community outreach workshops and even scholarships.

Verification Analyst Gary Ma said start ups make up about ten percent of certification applications. The guidelines and procedures are not as strict for start ups since they have yet to acquire all the required documentation that more established companies submit. It's good to know this process allows flexibility for the little guys still trying to spread their wings.

So if you want to get on that database, first research the company sites and check out their providers and procedures. It's free and it usually takes about a month to get get certified. What do you have to lose?

For DGS – www.getcertified.dgs.ca.gov
CPUC - www.cpuc.ca.gov
PGE - www.pge.com/purchasing
AT&T - www.attsupplierdiversity.com
Verizon – www.verizon.com/supplierdiversity
Comcast – www.comcast.com/diversity
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