The UCSD Small Business Office (SBO) is part of the Procurement and Contracts Department. Its main function is to help departments comply with equal opportunity practices for the purchase of goods and services in accordance with university policy. The SBO also develops outreach activities that improve the access of qualified diverse, small businesses to the UCSD campus community.

Some of the services provided by the SBO are:

• Identifying diverse, small businesses as suppliers of goods and services for consideration by UCSD buyers. These businesses include the following categories:
  • Small
  • Small, veteran-owned
  • Service-disabled, veteran-owned
  • HUBZone
  • Small, disadvantaged
  • Small, women-owned
• Informing vendors of UCSD policies and procedures and helping identify potential campus users of their goods and services
• Educating vendors about how to do business with UCSD
• Expanding campus awareness of equal opportunity in business contracting
• Advertising the small business program in campus publications
• Generating listings of diverse, small businesses for distribution to campus buyers and administrators of small business subcontracting plans
• Acting as liaison between the business community, UCSD buyers, and campus customers
• Participating in off-campus community organizations and local trade fairs to communicate UCSD's commitment to equal opportunity in procurement and business contracting
• Developing and monitoring diverse small/ small, disadvantaged business subcontracting plans for federal contracts that exceed $500,000
• Producing purchasing reports to management, the Office of the President, and federal funding agencies on campus utilization of diverse, small businesses
• Building relationships with diverse vendors via site visits

The university makes every effort to ensure that all persons, regardless of race, religion, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin have equal access to contracts and other business opportunities with the university. Refer to the campus notice published periodically as a reminder of UCSD's commitment to equal opportunity.

To learn more about the program, visit the Supplier Diversity and Certification section of our Supplier Guide to Doing Business with UCSD.

Attend periodic events that showcase potential new suppliers, such as the annual Small Vendor Business Fair.

For more information, contact the UCSD Small Business Office, (858) 822-7236.