|
If my business is included in this database, do I have to do anything else to do business with the State of Arizona?
Yes! This directory was designed as a reference tool for the State of Arizona"s procurement and purchasing personnel to locate SBE/MBE/WBE/DBE firms with which the State of Arizona could do business. For the State of Arizona to contract with you, a business must register with the State of Arizona on its SPIRIT website. You may complete this 10 (ten) minute process online at www.spirit.az.gov. Back to Top
The SPIRIT directory contains a database of more than 10,000 businesses. In order to receive a State of Arizona contract award, or to compete for State contracting opportunities, a business must register in the SPIRIT system. By registering, a business can be assured of receiving notice of any contracting opportunity worth more than $50,000 for goods, service and construction categories selected by the business when registering. Back to Top
What do the acronyms SBE/MBE/WBE/DBE represent?
The S, M, W and D represent the certification status of the business enterprise included herein. A business is small-owned (S), minority-owned (M), woman-owned (W) or disadvantaged-owned (D), or a combination thereof, certified by the Arizona Department of Transportation, City of Phoenix or City of Tucson. Back to Top
Are all companies listed in this database certified as either SBE/MBE/WBE/DBE?
Yes, this directory only contains enterprises certified by the Arizona Department of Transportation, the City of Phoenix or the City of Tucson. Vendors in this directory are downloaded directly each day from our certification partners. Back to Top
Where can I find vendors to meet contract requirements if I cannot find them on this site?
If you are looking for a vendor to meet your contract needs and you cannot locate one via this directory, please refer to the State of Arizona"s SPIRIT website at www.spirit.az.gov. You may also refer to other directories that are linked to the Enterprise Procurement Services at http://azeps.az.gov/ or Procurement Compliance, Administration and Policy websites at http://azeps.az.gov/PCAP/home/home.asp. Back to Top
How do I qualify as a minority- or woman-owned business?
To qualify as a MBE, a business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by a minority. Similarly, to qualify as a WBE a business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by a woman. Back to Top
How do I qualify as a small business?
For the State of Arizona, a small business is defined as a for-profit or not-for profit organization, including its affiliates, with fewer than 100 employees or gross annual receipts of less than $4 million for the last complete fiscal year. Back to Top
Are these businesses affiliated/associated with any specific government programs?
How does inclusion here benefit my business?
The businesses included here are not affiliated or associated with any specific government program. However, the Arizona Procurement Code requires that the State of Arizona seek bids or proposals for most contracts worth more than $50,000, and at least three quotes for most contracts worth $5,000 to $50,000. As such, inclusion here increases a business"s visibility with state procurement and purchasing personnel. SBEs may compete for any Arizona state contract, but purchases of $50,000 or less must be awarded to small businesses, where practicable. Governor Napolitano"s Executive Order 2004-29 requires that agencies obtain at least one quote from a SBE, MBE or WBE when obtaining competitive quotes. Back to Top
What is the difference between a Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE), a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), and a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)?
- MBE certification is based solely on the ethnicity of the owner(s),
- WBE certification is based solely on the gender (woman-owned status) of the owner(s)
- DBE certification is based on whether the owner(s) is/are socially and economically disadvantaged. Back to Top
How will I know about upcoming business opportunities with the State of Arizona?
The State of Arizona spends more than $7 billion each year for goods, services and construction, and utilizes various procurement methods. Agencies usually request quotes via the State of Arizona"s SPIRIT e-Procurement system or by e-mail, fax or phone. Many of these purchases are posted on the SPIRIT website. In instances where the State requests more formal bids or proposals, and conducts a comprehensive evaluation for contracts worth $50,000 or more, requests are posted on the SPIRIT website. To sign up for SPIRIT go to www.spirit.az.gov. Back to Top
Is it mandatory that my firm be SBE/MBE/WBE/DBE Certified to be included in this directory?
Yes! This directory only includes entities certified as SBE/MBE/WBE/DBE. However, any business, no matter who owns it, may compete for any State of Arizona contract. For the State of Arizona to contract with an entity, however, that entity must be a registered vendor through the State of Arizona"s e-Procurement Services SPIRIT system at www.spirit.az.gov. Back to Top
What Are the Advantages of Becoming Certified?
Certification may increase contracting opportunities. This directory serves as a reference tool to the State of Arizona"s procurement and purchasing personnel as well as the general public. Firms established as SBE/MBE/WBE or DBE ensure that governmental agencies, public, private, and corporate entities, and other business enterprises seeking to diversify their supply chain can confirm their utilization. Back to Top
Why is there a disclaimer that must be checked before I can search?
Checking the disclaimer checkbox confirms that you have read and understood that each enterprise listed, as a result of your search, is responsible for its own professional activity, and as such, the State of Arizona makes no representations or warranties regarding the degree of skill, quality of care, or quality of services that any such enterprise may provide. The State of Arizona provides this database as a reference source for state procurement and purchasing personnel, and the general public, to locate small, minority and/or women owned enterprises that seek to do business with the State. Each enterprise included in the Arizona Steps-Up database has been certified as small, minority and/or women owned with the Arizona Department of Transportation, the City of Phoenix or the City of Tucson.
How do I do a search from the Home page?
There is one input field on the home page: enter the keywords you are searching for. You can search the directory by entering the full word or name for a refined search. Or you may enter just the first few characters for a broader search.
For example, entering "Computer" in the Search Criteria field will yield entries with the word "Computer," while entering "Com" will find entries with "Computer" and "Commercial" or any entries with "Com" in the specified field.
- Select the Search Type from the drop-down box which corresponds to the field you want to search:
- Search Specialty: all the "Specialty" and "Notes" fields from all the records will be searched
- Search Business Name: The name of the business will be searched
- Search Owner's Name: The name of the majority owner of the business will be searched
- Search City: The city where the business is located will be searched
To perform a more complex search, use the "Advanced Search" button, which will take you to a page where you can perform searches such as, "show me all DBEs in Tucson." Back to Top
What's the difference between the Welcome page and the Home page?
The Welcome page is for the public and is the page that Search engines such as Google or Yahoo! or the Arizona @ Your Service portal's keyword search will point to. This page provides an overall introduction to the capabilities of Arizona Steps Up.
The Home page is mainly for procurement officers and similar users and should be bookmarked by those who want to return to the website on a frequent basis to perform searches for Businesses in the Arizona Steps Up Directory. Back to Top
How does the "Advanced Search" work?
To perform advanced searches enter your criteria into one or more fields on the Advanced Search form. The fields that you select will be searched for together to create the most restricted search: for example, if you enter a Specialty of "Asphalt" and a ZIP of "85014," the results will only display the matching businesses that work with "Asphalt" AND are located in ZIP "85014."
Field Descriptions for the Advanced Search Page
Specialty
This field contains the different specialties in which the business specializes. When you search using the specialty field, all the "Specialty" and "Notes" fields from all the records will be searched. Ethnicity
This field contains the ethnic designation that corresponds to the business's majority owner. When searching this field, you can select none, one, or multiple options. Selecting "No Preference," or not selecting any of the options will deliver the same result. Gender
This field contains the gender designation that corresponds to the business's majority owner. When searching this field, you can select none or one option. Certifications
This field contains a certification code that indicates if the business is a certified minority-owned, women-owned, or small business. When searching this field, you can select none, one, multiple options. Selecting "All"; will select all the options.
Note: there are currently no businesses that meet the criteria of "All." If none are selected, then that is equivalent to "any certification."
- SBE: Small Business Enterprise
- WBE: Woman Business Enterprise
- MBE: Minority Business Enterprise
- DBE: Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
Business Name
This field contains the name of the business. The Business Name field is used to find businesses whose name contains a particular word or words. You can enter the full business name, or just a part of the name in the Business Name field.
For example, any of the following entries (among others) could be used in the Business Name field to find ABC Paper: ABC Paper, ABC, or Paper.Owner's Name
This field contains the name of the owner. The Owner's Name field is used to find business owners whose names contain a particular word or words. You can enter the full owner's name, or just part of the name in the Owner's Name field.
For example, any of the following entries (among others) could be used in the Owner's Name field to find John Smith: John Smith, John, or Smith. City
This field contains the name of the city in which the business is located. The City field is used to find businesses located in the city that is entered. Zip
This field contains the zip code of the city in which the business is located. Enter the five-digit ZIP code or the ZIP+4. For example: 85014 or 85014-1234 or 85014 1234. Source This field contains the name of the organization that certified the business. Select none, one, or multiple options. If none of the options are selected, then that is equivalent to selecting "any source." Back to Top
How does the Search Results page work?
The Search Results page is divided into two sections:
- "Search Results" section on the left, which shows a list of all the businesses that match your current search criteria;
- "My List," which contains the businesses you've selected from your Search Results listing. You may view the details of the companies in your list by clicking the "My List Details" button.
Search Results
"Search Results" will allow you to check individual items (or select the "Check All" button to select all companies listed). Select the "Add to My List" button to move the items to the "My List" area. For a simple query, a completely new list of businesses is available by selecting the "New Search" button, which will take you to the Home page. For an advanced search, select the "Advanced Search" button to go to the Advanced Search page.
Note: The results of your search are listed in a random order. View the details for each company by selecting the link that corresponds to the company's name. My List
The"My List" section allows you to create a list of companies that can be printed for reference. When there are entries in the list, the box will change to red and a number will indicate how many entries are added to the title. Once entries are in the list, you can remove the entries by selecting the "Remove" link (you can add them back later if you remove one by mistake); you can view the details for the company by selecting the name of the company; you can remove all the entries from the list by selecting the "Clear All" button (a window will pop up to make sure you really want to delete the entries); or you can "Show Details," which will allow you to view and print details about all the businesses in the list or even send an email to all the businesses at one time.
Note: The businesses you've selected in "My List" will be maintained for the duration of your browser session. Closing the browser or allowing it to "timeout" after 30 minutes has the same effect as selecting the "Clear All" button from "My List." Back to Top
How does "Search Within Results" work?
The "Search Within Results" page allows you to refine the results returned from a search. You refine the search by entering additional keywords and then selecting the field to which the search should be applied. The refined search is performed against the companies listed in the current search results. For example, you perform an initial search for the City of Scottsdale which returned 75 companies. You realize that you only need the lighting companies in Scottsdale. You can enter "light" in the "Search Criteria" area, select "Search Specialty" from the Search Type drop-down box and click "Submit". This additional search is performed against the 75 companies in the current search results list. You can "Undo" a single previous search.
Note: A "history" of your searches is not maintained. Back to Top
What information is on the "My List Details" page?
If you select the "Details" button in the "My List" area, you will be able to see the important contact information for all the businesses in your list. You can print this page, or, if you select the "E-mail" button, your e-mail program will open up and the e-mail addresses in the list will be automatically placed in the "BCC" field. You can then send information to all the businesses at once. If you only want to send e-mail to a single business, click on the e-mail address in their detailed information. Back to Top
What information is on the "Details" page?
If you select a business name from the Search Results page, you will see all the information that we have in our databases about that business. You can print this page. Back to Top |
Arizona Steps Up 