In May 1988, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued General Order 156 (GO 156). Under GO 156, the CPUC required all investor-owned electric, gas, water and telecommunication utility companies with gross annual revenues in excess of $25 million (as well as their regulated subsidiaries and affiliates) to develop and implement programs to increase the utilization of WMBEs. The Supplier Clearinghouse was created.
Procurement goals of 5% for women-owned businesses and 15% for minority-owned businesses were initially established. GO 156 was later expanded to include a goal of 1.5% for California-based service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. A goal for LGBT-owned firms has not been established yet.
The certification process was designed with eligible suppliers in mind, making it easy for participating utilities to find and utilize WMDVBEs/LGBTBEs.
Today, The Supplier Clearinghouse continues to be a Commission-supervised entity whose primary purpose is to audit and verify the status of WMDVBEs/LGBTBEs on behalf of the individual utility companies. We maintain an accurate and reliable database of WMDVBE/LGBTBE-certified firms that is accessible to the CPUC and participating utilities for procurement-related outreach and opportunities.
