Report 2018-114 Recommendation 16 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 #16 To: General Services, Department of

To ensure that its outreach efforts are effective and result in a greater number of DVBE firms available that can provide the necessary goods and services awarding departments are seeking, General Services should develop better tracking of the businesses owned by disabled veterans that attend its outreach events and review certification data to determine whether these businesses obtained their certifications.

6-Month Agency Response

Since January 2019, Outreach has collected a list of disabled veteran owned businesses at each outreach event. As of June 2019, Outreach has collected data from 159 businesses owned by disabled veterans. From the information collected, Outreach developed and implemented a tracking tool to capture certification information about these firms. Of the 159 firms, 85 currently have a DVBE certification and 74 do not.

In May 2019, Outreach developed a survey for the 74 disabled veteran owned firms who are not yet certified, to capture potential reasons why they had not yet attained their DVBE certification. The survey was sent to these non-certified DVBE firms in June 2019.

As of July 2019, minimal survey responses have been received. Over half of respondents indicate that they have applied for DVBE certification, but have not yet been approved, or are planning on applying soon. Outreach continues to monitor the number of pending DVBE applications and the number of DVBE firms newly certified.

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

60-Day Agency Response

The DGS Outreach Team is currently utilizing tools at DVBE events to encourage potential DVBE firms to get more information about certification. The outreach team is also collecting and tracking businesses owned by disabled veterans that attend the outreach events. In addition, certification data is being collected and will be reviewed to determine whether these businesses obtain their certifications. Furthermore, the outreach team will be collaborating with the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) to develop a survey that will be sent to DVBEs who received their certification last year. By January 1, 2020, the Outreach Team will analyze all available gathered data regarding DVBE participation at outreach and certification events. The data will be assessed for the effectiveness of the 2019 outreach efforts and for increasing the number of DVBE firms that become certified. OSDS will use the assessment to create an Outreach Plan for 2020 that will better address the needs of state departments and the DVBE community.

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

All Recommendations in 2018-114

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.