It is the policy of the City of Columbus to provide business concerns owned by minority and female persons the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in contracts awarded by the City.  Moreover, EBOCO is responsible for tracking City Department utilization of minority and female business enterprises (M/FBEs).

In order to maintain an updated list of available and capable minority and female businesses, EBOCO,  certifies minority and female business enterprises interested in doing business with the City of Columbus. By obtaining certification through EBOCO, minority and female business enterprises are able to obtain certifications with other entities besides the City of Columbus, as well as participate in the business networking and educational programs.

Certification makes it easier to identify the available pool of businesses who meet the City's criteria.  For example, EBOCO is able to generate utilization reports to track the City's progress towards turning its equal access policy into reality from its database of certified minority and female business enterprises. Another example of how certification helps minority and female business enterprises is that EBOCO is able to generate a directory of minority and female business enterprises who are interested in participating in City contracts.

The utilization reports are provided to Columbus City Council, the Mayor, and all Department and Division heads. Directories are provided to City of Columbus procurement personnel, prime contractors, and other interested parties in order to identify available and capable minority and female business enterprises for solicitation at both the prime and subcontracting levels in the contracting process.

In order to stream line our processes, the application is now the Contract Compliance and Business Enterprise Certification Application. Contact the M/FBE coordinator at (614) 645-2203 for additional instructions. To view the supplemental application which details all the necessary documentation to be certified, please click the following link. Also, the City of Columbus now accepts certifications from the Women's Business Enterprise Council South East, The South Central Ohio Minority Business Council and the State of Ohio MBE Program. Contact Tia Roseboro for all the details.

Minority and Female Supplemental Documentation Application

Hispanic and Asian Supplemental Documentation Application