The Dallas Independent School District’s (ISD) Minority/Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Department was established to ensure that M/WBEs had equal opportunity to participate in all aspects of Dallas ISD’s contracting and purchasing programs.
Under the leadership of Director Annie Partee and M/WBE and Program Manager, Wilton Munnings, the department has helped many minority and women business owners successfully do business with the district. The M/WBE Department provides support services to diverse vendors in every industry through its Goods and Services division located at 9400 N. Central Expressway, Suite 1510 Dallas, TX 75231 and Construction Services division located at 3801 Herschel Ave., Dallas, TX 75219.
The district understands the importance of inclusion and strives to ensure its contracting opportunities reflect the growing diversity of the district’s business community. The district has established board approved M/WBE goals of 30 percent for goods, services, and construction and 35 percent for bond-funded professional services (i.e. Architects, Engineering and Specialty Services). Those percentages are met based on the dollar amount paid to certified minority and women-owned businesses, at the prime and subcontractor levels. A vendor must be certified with a Dallas ISD recognized certifying entity in order to be counted towards the district’s M/WBE goals.
The assistance available
The M/WBE Department helps minority and women business owners navigate through the process. Their services include but are not limited to:
- Assist companies to register via the district’s iSupplier vendor portal;
- Helping companies understand the contracting process;
- Providing guidance regarding the M/WBE Program;
- Connecting them to the appropriate resources;
- Providing bonding, surety and certification support;
- Monitoring contracts to ensure compliance of M/WBE policies;
- Partnering with agencies to assist in growing diverse businesses;
- Hosting educational and informative events, workshops and webinars;
- Actively supporting Dallas ISD students and the business community
The M/WBE department acts as an advocate and liaison between vendors, Dallas ISD, and the community. The M/WBE team actively recruits and educate vendors on how to do business with the district through networking, community outreach programs, webinars, workshops, and districtwide initiatives. For additional information, visit www.dallasisd.org/mwbe | Download the M/WBE Mobile App by searching DISD MWBE in your app store.
