In accordance with School Board Policy/Regulation and NPS's Procurement Manual, NPS encourages all employees involved in procurement decisions to solicit from SWAM business suppliers.  NPS is committed to ensuring fair consideration of all suppliers in its day-to-day procurement of services and materials.  Providing the opportunity for a wide-range of suppliers provides NPS a competitive edge in acquiring high-quality, low-cost innovative products and services.  Central Purchasing will maximize opportunities to SWAM vendors by utilizing eVA (Virginia's e-Procurement system), which lists Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise (VDMBE) registered SWAM vendors.

A SWaM vendor is a Small, Women-owned or Minority-owned business that has been certified through the Commonwealth by the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD). Visit sbsd.virginia.gov for more information.

All qualifying small, women-owned or minority-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to become certified. To become certified as a SWaM business:

Certified SWaM vendors are listed in the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) database. You can search for a SWaM vendor by company name, NIGP commodity code description, or zip code.

Vendor Search Guide:

1. SWaM Home
2. SBSD Directory
3. Search Type
4. Company Search
5. Other Search

SWaM Home Page

• Go to the SBSD website home page located at: www.sbsd.virginia.gov
• On the SBSD home page, scroll down and click on SWaM and DBE Directory.