Members in Attendance

Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Members in Attendance

· Cheryl Gonzalez (University of North Florida)

· Michelle Andrewin (Palm Beach School District)

· Julius Davis (VoltAir Consulting Engineers); had to leave after 20 minutes

· Johnny Helms (Lumbee Resource Management Group)

· Barbara Rhodes Melvin (First Florida Integrity Bank)

· Jay Narang (GDKN Corporation)

· Steven Rosa Pagan (Re/Max Commercial Associates / The Steven Rosa Group, LLC)

· Raymond Spaulding (Department of Environmental Protection)

· Christine Yerkes (Yerkes South, Inc.)

Staff in Attendance

· Hue Reynolds, Executive Director, Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD), Department of Management Services (DMS)

· Donna Williams, Marketing Manager, OSD, DMS

Call to Order

· A quorum was not reached. Discussions of non-voting items took place after roll call.

Office of Supplier Diversity Update

· Hue Reynolds, OSD Executive Director, provided a brief update on OSD activities.

o May 5 - Government Small Business Conference at the University of South Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Tampa

o May 11 – Small Business Summit with the Small Business Administration in Jacksonville

o May 12 – Moffitt Cancer Center Vendor Fair in Tampa

o May 25 – University of Central Florida SBDC in Orlando

· Director Reynolds also confirmed that a Supplier Diversity event will be held at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale on August 25.

· OSD will begin hosting rule workshops to review and modify existing rules for certification this summer.

Council Chair/Vice Chair’s Update

· Vice Chair Narang served as the Chair for the meeting.

· He provided updates on the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s (NMSDC) work in Washington, D.C.

· He shared that President Trump’s proposed budget included the elimination of the Minority Business Development Agency, which would impact the two centers in Florida: Orlando and Miami.

· Johnny Helms inquired about the 8A certification and the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise designation.

· Chair Narang clarified that the issue is that the NMSDC is seeking federal entities to accept the NMSDC designation.

Commentarian

· The scheduled commentarian was Bureau Chief Jerilyn Bailey with DMS. Due to a scheduling conflict, she was unable to make the meeting; however, she asked her Category Manager, Nicole Acosta, to provide a brief overview on the General Services Administration (GSA) and the state’s use of the GSA Schedule 70 for IT related purchases.

· The Department of Management Services State Purchasing Division has devised a concierge service for GSA related questions to help the business community.

· State Purchasing has also been conducting trainings for sister agencies as well as vendors to help them navigate the GSA websites and provide other GSA related information. State Purchasing also explains the new FastLane program.

· The next quarterly training is scheduled for July 27-28. Details will be provided to Council members and vendors who have expressed interest in participating.

· Chair Narang asked about the staff augmentation contract that was previously on state term contract (STC). Nicole responded that because staff augmentation is currently a state term contract, agencies are required to use that STC for those types of services. However, she stated that in project areas 1, 2 and 3 – the GSA could be used, since it’s an alternate contract source, or an agency may determine to procure on its own.

· Chair Narang asked for clarification on the steps necessary to get onto a GSA schedule.

· Nicole shared that information. That information is now posted on the Council’s web page, and was emailed to members. She also stated the the FastLane program was established to help vendors get onto the schedule within 45 days.

· Johnny Helms asked about the process in the FastLane program.

· Nicole explained that there are three steps that are detailed in the FastLane program, and businesses should be able to do this on their own for approximately $540. The concierge service can be a resource to help vendors who are interested.

News Articles and Links

· Chair Narang asked for a volunteer Council member to write the next article for the OSD newsletter. Chair Gonzalez volunteered to write a historical article for submission.

· Chair Narang also asked for members to submit any relevant news articles to Director Reynolds for distribution.

Committee Reports

· Emerging Trends and Research, Barbara Melvin, Chair

· The Committee met in April.

· The Committee will provide updates to Chapter 287 as they discussed to the Council at a future date.

New Business

· No new business was discussed.

Announcements

· Michelle Andrewin reminded Council members of the upcoming Florida Association of Minority Business Enterprise Officers training, to be held May 17-19 in West Palm Beach. The topic of discussion centers around disparity studies and set asides.

The meeting adjourned at 2:30 pm.