MBE/WBE (Minority Business Enterprise/Women Business Enterprise) Policy

Purpose

Veterans Medical Research Foundation (VMRF) shall give small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises the maximum practicable opportunity when working with sponsored contracts and grants.  In addition, VMRF will adhere to specific MBE/WBE requirements as outlined in any given Federal Contract or other award instrument.

Overview:

The Federal Government is the largest sponsor of externally funded activity at the foundation.  Requirements for small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises utilization are based on 2CFR215 and sponsor requirements. Recipients of federal awards are required to ensure that such businesses are used to the fullest extent practicable.  Click here to access the CFR website.

Small Business Enterprise:

A business that is independently owned and operated and has 100 or fewer full-time employees.

Veterans Business Enterprise:

A business that is independently owned and operated and is at least 51% owned and controlled by veteran(s) who also exercise control over the daily and long-term operations.

Minority Business Enterprise:

A business that is independently owned and operated and is at least 51% owned and controlled by minority person(s) who also exercise control over the daily and long-term operations.

Women Business Enterprise:

A business that is independently owned and operated and is at least 51% owned and controlled by a woman or women who also exercise control over the daily and long-term operations.

Any employee who is involved with the administration of sponsored agreements should be familiar with this policy.

The Procurement Department is responsible for establishing procurement standards and procedures to ensure that positive efforts are made to utilize small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises to the fullest extent practicable or required by a specific award instrument. Procedures to further these goals shall include the following:

• Make information on forthcoming opportunities available and arrange time frames for purchases and contracts to encourage and facilitate participation by small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises.

 

• Consider in the contract process whether firms competing for larger contracts intend to subcontract with small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises. In order to assure that its contractors and vendors abide by the spirit and terms of this policy, the foundation will require major contractors and vendors to submit plans for economic opportunity for small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises.

 

• Encourage contracting with consortiums of small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises when a contract is too large for one of these firms to handle individually.

 

• Use of the services and assistance, as appropriate, of such organizations as the Small Business Administration and the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency in the solicitation and utilization of small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises.

The Procurement Department will be responsible for tracking progress toward VMRF’s goal of providing enhanced opportunities for small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises to participate in the VMRF’s procurement process. VMRF’s accounting system does track contract and grant expenses to identify by specific grant or contract which purchases are made from small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises.

During grant and contract setup, the Principal Investigator and Contracts and Grants Administrator (CGA) will identify the contracts and grants involving small, veterans owned, minority owned, or women owned business enterprises requirements. The CGA will then work with the Procurement Department to determine the amount expended during the relevant period for each contract or grant. The CGA will be responsible for tracking and reporting progress to the appropriate sponsor in compliance with the grant or contract agreement.

Approved by the VMRF Board of Directors: August 19, 2011