Dominion Energy serves roughly 7.5 million customers across multiple states, with its heaviest footprint in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Ohio. That scale means a continuous, high-volume procurement operation: construction, maintenance, technology, professional services, and more. The company has formalized a supplier diversity program and disclosed spend commitments publicly, which is more than most utilities do.
If you run a certified diverse business and want utility work, Dominion is a realistic target. Here is how to get into their system, what they actually buy, and what moves an application forward.
Dominion Energy's supplier diversity program
Dominion Energy's supplier diversity effort sits inside its supply chain organization and is called the Supplier Diversity Program. The company is a member of several national supplier diversity organizations, including the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), which signals that it takes the program seriously enough to pay membership dues and show up.
Dominion has publicly stated a goal to direct at least 10 percent of addressable spend to diverse suppliers. "Addressable spend" is procurement's term for the portion of total spend that could realistically go to diverse businesses, net of spend on items with no diverse supplier market. A 10 percent target at Dominion's scale represents meaningful contract dollars.
The program is administered through Dominion's supply chain division. The supplier diversity team handles registration screening, tracks diverse spend against targets, and connects certified suppliers to commodity managers who do actual buying.
Fact-check note: Specific annual spend dollar amounts and the name of the current Supplier Diversity Manager should be verified directly at dominionenergy.com/supplier-diversity before publishing, as personnel and commitment figures update.
Which certifications carry weight
Dominion recognizes the standard third-party diversity certifications. To count toward their diverse supplier spend targets, your certification needs to come from a recognized body.
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE): Certification from an NMSDC-affiliated regional council. For Virginia-based businesses, that is typically the Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council (CVMSDC). NMSDC certification is broadly recognized across corporate procurement.
Women's Business Enterprise (WBE): Certification from WBENC or a WBENC-affiliated Women's Business Center. In Virginia, the Women's Business Enterprise Council East (WBEC East) is the primary certifier.
Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned (SWaM): Virginia's state certification from the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD). Because Dominion operates heavily in Virginia and has relationships with the state government, SWaM carries real weight here. A SWaM certification is often a direct path to being recognized as a diverse supplier in Dominion's system.
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB): Verified through the VA's Veteran Small Business Certification program (VetCert). Dominion recognizes veteran-owned businesses as part of its diverse supplier definition.
LGBTQ+ Business Enterprise (LGBTBE): Certification from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).
Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE): Certification from Disability:IN.
If you already hold a federal small business designation (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB), bring that documentation. Dominion may accept it in combination with a state or corporate cert, but confirm with their team.
Getting certified before you register is not strictly required to be in their system, but it is required to be tracked as a diverse supplier for spend-goal purposes. Without certification, you are just a vendor.
How to register
Dominion Energy uses Oracle iSupplier Portal as its primary procurement platform. This is where supplier information lives, where purchase orders are issued, and where invoices are processed.
Step 1: Register on the iSupplier Portal. The portal is accessible through dominionenergy.com under the supplier section. You will create a profile that includes business name, DUNS/UEI number, NAICS codes, capabilities description, ownership data, and certification documentation. Upload PDF copies of your certification letters.
Step 2: Complete the supplier questionnaire. Dominion's intake process includes questions about financial stability, insurance coverage, and compliance history. This is standard for regulated utility procurement. Have your general liability and workers' compensation insurance certificates ready. Minimum coverage requirements vary by service type; construction and field services typically require higher limits.
Step 3: Identify as a diverse supplier. During registration, there is a section to indicate diversity status and upload certifications. Do not skip this. A supplier who registers without marking diversity status will not be counted or flagged when commodity managers are sourcing to diversity goals.
Step 4: Select your NAICS codes. Be specific. Dominion's commodity managers search by code. If you provide consulting under NAICS 541611 (Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services), include it. If you also do technical training, add 611430. More codes mean more search visibility, but only include codes you can actually perform.
Dominion may also reach out for a capabilities presentation after registration. Be ready to do a 20-30 minute call with a commodity manager or the supplier diversity team.
What Dominion Energy buys from diverse suppliers
Utilities buy a broader range of things than most people expect. The spend is not all poles and wire.
Construction and maintenance: Transmission line construction, substation work, meter installation, vegetation management (tree trimming near power lines), civil site work, and building maintenance. This is often the largest diverse spend category because there are certified MBE and WBE contractors who can do the work.
Professional services: Engineering and technical consulting, environmental consulting, project management, IT consulting, cybersecurity services, and compliance support. Virginia SWaM-certified firms and NMSDC MBEs compete here regularly.
Facilities and fleet: Janitorial services, landscaping, security, fleet maintenance, and office supplies. These categories have lower margins but faster sales cycles and more repeat purchase potential.
Technology: Software, hardware, managed services, and telecom. Dominion has invested in grid modernization and digital infrastructure, which creates procurement in these categories.
Marketing and communications: Print, promotional items, events, photography, and media. Often sourced locally.
Staffing: Temporary and contract workers across a range of skill categories.
If your NAICS codes map to any of these buckets, you have a plausible path.
Practical steps to move from registered to engaged
Registration gets you into the database. It does not guarantee you get called. Here is what actually moves things forward.
Reach out to the supplier diversity team directly. After you register, send a brief email to Dominion's supplier diversity contact introducing your business and mentioning your certification. Keep it under 200 words. Include your NAICS codes, a one-line description of what you do differently, and a link to your capability statement. Ask whether there are any upcoming RFP cycles or commodity manager introductions available. This is not pushy; supplier diversity teams expect this outreach and it is how they build their pipeline lists.
Attend NMSDC and WBENC events where Dominion participates. Dominion's supplier diversity team attends the NMSDC Annual Conference (typically held in October), WBENC's National Conference and Business Fair (typically June), and the NGLCC International Business and Leadership Conference. These events are where supplier diversity managers and commodity buyers meet in person. A five-minute conversation at a matchmaking event is worth more than three emails in the system.
Connect with CVMSDC. The Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council runs local events and matchmaking sessions with corporate members in the region. As an NMSDC member, Dominion participates in these. CVMSDC membership gives you access to their business opportunity fair and direct introductions to Dominion's buyer-side contacts.
Engage through Virginia's SBSD network. The Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity tracks certified SWaM businesses and helps connect them to Virginia-based corporate programs, not just state contracts. If you are SWaM-certified, reach out to SBSD about private-sector connection programs; they sometimes facilitate introductions to Dominion and other Virginia-headquartered companies.
Respond to RFPs methodically. Dominion posts opportunities through iSupplier and may also post through Virginia's SBSD eVA platform for some categories. Set up alerts so you do not miss a relevant solicitation. When you respond, price competitively but do not undercut to the point where you cannot perform. A low bid that produces quality problems ends the relationship.
Build a Tier 2 relationship. If you are a smaller firm not yet ready to prime on a Dominion contract, consider approaching the large prime contractors Dominion uses for construction and facilities work. Many of those primes have Tier 2 diverse supplier commitments of their own, either because Dominion requires it or because they are managing their own supplier diversity program. Being a certified subcontractor on a Dominion project gives you verifiable performance data and a reference.
Realistic timeline
Registering takes two to four hours, assuming your documents are organized. Getting reviewed and approved in the supplier database typically takes two to four weeks.
From that point, the time to a first contract depends heavily on category alignment and timing. A business with strong NAICS code coverage in a high-spend category (electric construction, environmental services) that registers two months before a large project solicitation could see an RFP invitation within six months. A business in a lower-volume category may wait twelve to eighteen months before a relevant opportunity appears.
The businesses that move fastest tend to be the ones that did not treat registration as the finish line. They registered, followed up with the supplier diversity team, showed up at the NMSDC matchmaking session, and built relationships with the commodity managers who control the spend. Patience matters here, but so does presence.
One other thing: Dominion, like most large utilities, requires insurance before any contract is signed. Get your certificates in order before you need them, not after you win the work. The categories with faster turnaround — IT staffing, consulting, facilities services — still require general liability minimums and in some cases cyber liability. Ask during the registration process what minimums apply to your category.
If you are still working through certification, our corporate programs directory shows how Dominion and 200+ other companies structure their supplier diversity programs. The NMSDC [MBE certification guide](/blog/nmsdc-mbe-certification-complete-2026-guide/) covers eligibility, cost, and the full application process for the certification Dominion tracks most closely.
