Supplier Diversity Program (SDP)

We're compiling a directory of certified diverse businesses as a future resource for vendors. Register your business to be listed.

Need help finding a diverse partner when you're submitting a bid? The Supplier Diversity team can help by generating a list of certified diverse businesses that match the skills or services you need.

Complete the form below to share your needs for a potential partnership. A member of the Supplier Diversity team will respond with a list of relevant businesses and their contact information.

Note: The form is intended to be a resource for businesses. The MBTA cannot guarantee partnerships.

RFPs require bidders to address their commitment to supplier diversity. Bidders may be asked to provide:

• Existing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies
• Past, current, or future partnerships with diverse vendors, if applicable
• Financial commitment towards partnering with diverse vendors, if applicable

Businesses that bid on a contract valued at $250,000 or more must either:

1. Be a diverse business certified by the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office (SDO), or
2. Partner on the contract with diverse businesses certified by the SDO or by a third-party organization that the SDO recognizes. For example, businesses can hire certified diverse subcontractors.

For vendors that use option 2 to fulfill the supplier diversity requirement, your contract will specify how much of the awarded amount must be paid to certified diverse partners.

During your contract, you'll need to show ongoing compliance by submitting a quarterly contractor's affidavit of payment to the MBTA Supplier Diversity team. 

If you think your business meets the supplier diversity requirement in a different way than the two options listed above, please contact us at vendormgmt@mbta.com. You can also contact us for questions about creating or submitting affidavits of payment.

The MBTA strives to work with businesses that are certified by the Massachusetts SDO or by third-party organizations that the SDO recognizes.

These certifications include, but are not limited to:

• Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs)
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs)
• Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs)
• Minority Women Non-Profit Organization (M/W/NPO)
• Women Business Enterprises (WBEs)
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (SDVOBEs)
• Veteran Business Enterprises (VBEs)

Apply for SDO certification: Diverse vendors interested in bidding on MBTA contracts for goods and services or becoming a subcontractor for a project awarded to another company must first become certified or be in the process of certification.

Apply for certification

Already certified by a third-party organization? Diverse businesses with third-party certifications recognized by the SDO are just as competitive throughout the MBTA’s bid solicitation process as businesses with SDO certification.

Apply for recognition