Includes Woman–, Minority–, LGBT–, and Disabled–Veteran–Owned Businesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 14, 2022
MCE Press Contact:
Jenna Tenney, Marketing & Communications Manager
(925) 378-6747 | communications@mceCleanEnergy.org
SAN RAFAEL and CONCORD, Calif. — MCE’s second annual Supplier Diversity Report, published on March 1, 2022, showcases MCE’s $5 million investment in small and diverse businesses. MCE spent over $1.3 million on certified small and diverse businesses, and an additional $4 million on businesses qualified to receive diverse certification but that have yet to go through the certification process.
“To create an equitable clean energy economy, we must support small and diverse businesses,” said Gabe Quinto, MCE Board Director and Mayor of El Cerrito. “MCE has been doing this for over a decade, and we’re proud to be a part of the solution.”
In 2017 MCE’s Sustainable Workforce and Diversity Policy outlined MCE’s guidelines for supporting diversity in power procurement and contracting for goods and services. MCE’s supplier diversity efforts include:
- Hosting annual workshops to support local businesses in the process of becoming certified through the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Supplier Clearinghouse,
- Participating in the CPUC’s Supplier Diversity en bancs and business expos,
- Engaging with local and diverse Chambers of Commerce and community-based organizations across its service area,
- Offering a portfolio of capacity building programs for small and local businesses, and
- Encouraging submissions from diverse suppliers to MCE’s competitive solicitations.
MCE also supports sustained and fairly compensated local job opportunities in the energy industry, through workforce training and pre–apprenticeship programs. MCE’s workforce programs develop a longer–term pipeline of local, green job opportunities for community members. These workforce development opportunities focus on public–private partnerships to construct local renewable energy projects and install energy efficiency retrofits, EV charging stations, energy storage installations, and low–income residential solar.
MCE’s report includes information about its use of suppliers certified by the CPUC’s Supplier Clearinghouse, a certification program that is solely based on characteristics of the owner(s) of the company. Unfortunately, as noted in the report, MCE spends 92% of its budget on electricity supply and less than half of one percent of the certified companies in the CPUC’s Clearinghouse provide electricity supply. Almost all companies that supply electricity generation to California utilities either do not meet the CPUC’s diversity characteristics, or have not become certified. MCE is investing in workforce development that creates more diversity in the energy sector as a means for fostering future diversity in ownership.
“MCE helped me recertify with the Supplier Clearinghouse in 2022,” said Katherine Loh, founder of KL Design and Translation, Inc. “I am deeply appreciative of their support and guidance throughout the process and am looking forward to the additional contracting opportunities being certified presents.”
Learn more about MCE’s Supplier Diversity efforts in our 2022 report here.
If you are interested in working with MCE, sign up to receive future solicitations at mceCleanEnergy.org/opportunities/.
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About MCE: MCE is a groundbreaking, not-for-profit, public agency that has been setting the standard for clean energy in our communities since 2010. MCE offers more renewable power at stable rates, significantly reducing energy-related greenhouse emissions and enabling millions of dollars of reinvestment in local energy programs. MCE is a load-serving entity supporting a 1,200 MW peak load. MCE provides electricity service and innovative programs to more than 540,000 customer accounts and more than one million residents and businesses in 37 member communities across four Bay Area counties: Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano. For more information about MCE, visit mceCleanEnergy.org, or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
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