In 2017 MCE’s Sustainable Workforce and Diversity Policy outlined MCE’s guidelines for supporting diversity in power procurement and contracting for goods and services. MCE’s supplier diversity efforts include:

• Hosting annual workshops to support local businesses in the process of becoming certified through the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Supplier Clearinghouse,
• Participating in the CPUC’s Supplier Diversity en bancs and business expos,
• Engaging with local and diverse Chambers of Commerce and community-based organizations across its service area,
• Offering a portfolio of capacity building programs for small and local businesses, and
• Encouraging submissions from diverse suppliers to MCE’s competitive solicitations.

MCE also supports sustained and fairly compensated local job opportunities in the energy industry, through workforce training and pre–apprenticeship programs. MCE’s workforce programs develop a longer–term pipeline of local, green job opportunities for community members. These workforce development opportunities focus on public–private partnerships to construct local renewable energy projects and install energy efficiency retrofits, EV charging stations, energy storage installations, and low–income residential solar.

MCE’s report includes information about its use of suppliers certified by the CPUC’s Supplier Clearinghouse, a certification program that is solely based on characteristics of the owner(s) of the company. Unfortunately, as noted in the report, MCE spends 92% of its budget on electricity supply and less than half of one percent of the certified companies in the CPUC’s Clearinghouse provide electricity supply. Almost all companies that supply electricity generation to California utilities either do not meet the CPUC’s diversity characteristics, or have not become certified. MCE is investing in workforce development that creates more diversity in the energy sector as a means for fostering future diversity in ownership.