Report 2018-114 Recommendation 4 Responses

Report 2018-114: Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program: The Departments of General Services and Veterans Affairs Have Failed to Maximize Participation and to Accurately Measure Program Success (Release Date: February 2019)

Recommendation #4 To: General Services, Department of

To ensure that awarding departments can effectively identify DVBE firms that provide needed products and services, General Services should ensure that by October 2019 departments identify their contracting needs and then post these needs prominently on their websites as a resource for DVBE firms.

6-Month Agency Response

In October 2018, DGS contacted state departments and encouraged them to post a Look-Ahead report of upcoming solicitations on their departments' website with a deadline of January 2019. A follow-up email was sent in January 2019, and an Outreach liaison attended the January SB/DVBE advocate meeting to explain the importance of providing upcoming solicitations to DVBE firms. As of March 2019:

- Five departments complied with the request.

- Additional departments agreed to complete the report in the upcoming months.

As of June 2019, departments that had previously indicated to complete a Look-Ahead report before June 2019 were contacted by email.

- All departments that spent more than $10 million in FY 2017-18 and had not completed a Look-Ahead report - 35 departments in total - were contacted and invited again to create a Look-Ahead report.

- New efforts resulted in seven departments responding, including links to three new Look-Ahead reports.

- In total, 21 Look-Ahead reports have been developed and posted on departments' websites, and linked from the DGS "How to do Business with the State" web page at https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/Resources/Page-Content/Procurement-Division-Resources-List-Folder/How-to-do-business-with-the-state-of-California.

DGS will continue to encourage departments to share available Look-Ahead reports on their website as a resource for DVBE firms.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

60-Day Agency Response

In October 2018, DGS contacted state departments and encouraged them to post a Look-Ahead report of upcoming solicitations on their departments' website with a deadline of January 2019. A follow-up email was sent out in January, and a DGS Outreach Liaison attended the January Small Business (SB) and DVBE advocate meeting to explain the importance of providing upcoming solicitations to the DVBE firms. As of March 2019, five departments have complied to the request. Further, it was confirmed that additional departments have agreed to complete the report in the upcoming months. By October 2019, DGS will be able to identify the number of departments posting the Look-Ahead reports on their departments' website.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2018-114

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.