Memorandum #216 Inclusion of Small and Local Businesses in College Purchasing Activities

Revised: June 4, 2026
Original Date of Issue: November 1, 2012
Approved by: Board of Trustees
Policy Owner: Director of Purchasing

Support of small and local-based businesses is a business objective of the College in undertaking its procurement of goods and services. Supplier diversity fosters positive economic impact and increases competition within the College’s pool of goods and service suppliers. The Purchasing Department is committed to including small and local suppliers in procurement procedures whenever possible. The Purchasing Department is the College’s organization unit with the responsibility for identifying and qualifying small and local-based suppliers capable of meeting the College’s procurement requirements.

Definitions

Small Business Enterprise (SBE)

A business that is certified as a Small Business Enterprise by an approved agency, such as the City of Philadelphia, PA Unified Certification Program or the Pennsylvania Department of Transportations. “Self-certification” of SBE status is not accepted. Existing Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) are automatically elible for SBE status. DBEs are defined as a small business that is owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged persons as defined in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 26 and certified in accordance with those federal regulations.

Local Business Enterprise (LBE)

A business that is registered as an LBE in Philadelphia. To be an LBE in Philadelphia, the business must be headquartered in Philadelphia or, if the business is not headquartered in Philadelphia, it must meet two of the following requirements:

• More than 60% of the business’ full-time employees live in Philadelphia. These employees must list Philadelphia as their address on the City of Philadelphia Annual Reconciliation of Employer Wage Tax.
• More than half of the business’ full-time employees work in the city at least 60% of the time.

Responsibilities of the Purchasing Department

The Purchasing Department is responsible for:

• Identifying SBE and LBE suppliers
• Assisting SBE and LBE suppliers in understanding the College procurement process
• Mentoring SBE and LBE suppliers before and after awards are made to promote and facilitate continued business growth within the College
• Delivering an on-going effort to increase the amount of purchases from SBE and LBE suppliers
• Encouraging all internal departments to include SBE and LBE suppliers when looking to source a service or commodity
• Providing annual reports of SBE and LBE supplier participation

Identifying and Certifying Suppliers

The Purchasing and Services Department has established and will maintain partnerships SBEs and LBEs to assist the College with obtaining qualified and varied suppliers. The College recognizes and accepts the certifications of agencies acceptable to the City of Philadelphia. The City of Philadelphia Office of Economic Opportunity provides a complete listing of acceptable certifying agencies, which can be found at https://phila.mwdsbe.com/. In addition, the College has an Equal Opportunity Program (EOP) for large scale construction projects that mirrors the City of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania goals for small and local supplier participation.

Other Related College Policies

Policy #201, Open Market Purchasing; Policy #202, Purchases and Contracts Requiring Specific Board Authorization; and Policy #203, Expenditure Approval Requirements