About SWaM
The SWaM certification program is administered by the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise (DMBE) and is the Commonwealth of Virginias effort to help small, women- and minority-owned businesses with doing business with state government entities.On August 10, 2006, Governor Timothy Kaine signed Executive Order No. 33 (2006) focusing on enhancing business opportunities for small, women- and minority-owned (SWaM) businesses. Governor Kaine set forth a 40% goal of purchases from SWaMs for the Commonwealth and established a Small Business Set-Aside Program, as well as several other initiatives for state agencies and departments to enhance SWaM participation in procurement activities.
The SWaM Procurement Initiative was established to enhance business opportunities for small, women- and minority-owned businesses and to ensure a level playing field for all small businesses in the Commonwealth of Virginia. SWaM is the acronym for Small, Women- and Minority-owned businesses. A SWaM vendor is a business that has been certified by the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise and is listed in the SWaM Vendor Directory.