Minority Business Enterprise Program

Florida Gulf Coast University is dedicated to the Small and Minority Business Enterprise Assistance Program and all aspects of the Florida Small and Minority Business Enterprise Assistance Act of 1985. Each university is encouraged to purchase commodities and services from State of Florida certified small and minority businesses. Chapter 287.09451(n), Florida Statutes, encourages all state agencies to spend a percentage of purchasing expenditures with Certified Minority Business Enterprises (CMBEs):

Construction Contracts - 21%
Architectural and Engineering Contracts - 25%
Commodities Contracts - 24%
Contractual Services Contracts - 50.5%

In order for your firm to qualify for certification by the Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD) in Tallahassee you:

• Must be a small business as defined in Section 288, Florida Statutes; and,
• Must have 51% ownership and currently performing a useful business function; and,
• Must be domiciled in Florida and majority of minority owners are also residents of Florida; and,
• Must have management and daily operations controlled by minority persons.

A minority person is defined as:

African American - A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa; or

Hispanic American - A person of Spanish or Portuguese culture, with origins in Mexico, South America, Central America, or the Caribbean, regardless of age; or

Asian American - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands, including the Hawaiian Islands prior to 1778; or

Native American - A person having origins in any of the Indian Tribes of North American; or

American Woman

For more information contact the Office of Supplier Diversity website: http://osd.dms.state.fl.us/