USAA is one of the largest financial services companies in the United States, with revenue exceeding $40 billion and a membership base of over 13 million active military members, veterans, and their families. That mission alignment — every product the company sells is tied to military service — shapes its supplier diversity program in a way that is distinct from most Fortune 500 programs. If you are a veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, or military-family-owned business, USAA is a genuine priority account worth pursuing.
USAA's supplier diversity program
USAA's program carries the formal name Military Family Supplier Diversity. That name signals the primary intent: the program was designed to create procurement opportunities for businesses owned by veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and military spouses, not simply to satisfy a corporate checkbox.
The program is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, where USAA has its main campus. It sits within the broader Supplier Management function.
USAA's stated mission for the program is to "enhance opportunities for qualified, diverse companies to compete and participate in their procurement process." The company encompasses all standard diverse business classifications in its supplier network, but publicly emphasizes veteran and military family ownership above the others. This is consistent with its membership model — USAA exists to serve people who have served.
USAA does not publish a hard annual diverse spend target or a percentage-of-total-procurement figure in its public materials. That is worth noting if you are benchmarking programs by publicly disclosed commitments. The program is active and staffed, but its reporting is less transparent than programs at comparably sized financial services companies.
Which certifications they recognize
USAA's Supplier Management function accepts all standard diverse business ownership classifications. Based on publicly available program documentation and its California Department of Insurance diversity reports, the recognized categories include:
- SDVOSB — Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (VA verification or SBA certification)
- VOSB — Veteran-Owned Small Business
- MBE — Minority Business Enterprise (NMSDC regional council certification is the recognized standard)
- WBE — Women Business Enterprise (WBENC regional partner certification or SBA WOSB)
- DOBE — Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (Disability:IN certification)
- Small Business — SBA size-standard definitions apply
SDVOSB and VOSB certifications carry the most weight at USAA, consistent with its mission. If you have an active SDVOSB designation from the VA's Verification Program — or the SBA's successor verification process following the SBA's assumption of that responsibility — include the certification number and expiration date in your registration materials.
For MBE certification, contact your regional NMSDC affiliate. There are 23 regional councils across the country, and certification is issued at that level before appearing in the NMSDC national database. WBENC certification works similarly through its regional partner organizations. Both databases are accessible to corporate procurement teams doing supplier discovery.
Where and how to register
USAA does not use an open self-service procurement marketplace. The entry point is the Prospective Supplier Form, a PDF available at usaa.com's supplier page. Completed forms are submitted directly to supplier.relations@usaa.com.
The form collects standard business information: legal entity name, address, primary contact, description of products and services, NAICS code, and diverse business classification(s) with certifying body and certificate number.
Submitting the form does not designate your company as a USAA supplier. The form enters you into the supplier database, and procurement staff contact suppliers when an active procurement need matches your described capabilities. The process is demand-driven, not application-driven.
A few things will help your record surface when that moment comes:
Be specific about your service description. "IT consulting" will not match a procurement search. "Cybersecurity vulnerability assessment for financial services, FISMA and SOC 2 experience" will. USAA's procurement spans a large technology footprint; specificity matters.
List your NAICS code accurately. This is how category managers filter the supplier database. If you serve multiple categories, list your primary NAICS code and note secondary codes in your service description.
Include your certification details. Certificate number, issuing body, and expiration date. An uncertified self-attestation requires more manual verification on USAA's side and typically receives less priority than a third-party certified classification.
After USAA engages you for a procurement need, you will move into their formal Supplier Management process, which includes vendor onboarding, compliance requirements, and periodic performance reviews.
What categories they source from diverse suppliers
USAA's business spans insurance (auto, home, life), banking, investing, and retirement products — all serving a military-eligible member base. That translates to a procurement footprint you would expect from a $40B+ financial services company. Based on the company's operational profile and public supplier diversity program materials, the categories with active diverse supplier sourcing include:
Technology and IT services. USAA is a technology-intensive company — it runs banking, insurance, and investment platforms for millions of customers. Software development, IT staffing, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and data analytics are consistent procurement categories. The company has also been active in fintech partnerships. Veteran-owned IT firms with financial services or defense sector experience are a natural fit.
Professional services. Consulting, accounting, legal services, project management, and HR services all flow through USAA's procurement function. Staffing and contingent workforce management is a separate active category.
Marketing and communications. USAA is a direct-to-consumer brand with a significant marketing budget. Creative services, media production, content development, and event marketing vendors are sourced through the procurement function. USAA's brand identity is tightly tied to military service and family — vendors who understand that audience have an advantage.
Facilities and operational services. Building maintenance, security, food services, and general contracting for USAA's San Antonio campus and regional offices. This is a high-volume, high-turnover category that tends to have more accessible entry points than enterprise software contracts.
Financial and compliance services. Actuarial consulting, claims services, regulatory compliance support, and fraud analytics.
USAA has not published a public category-level breakdown of its diverse spend, so this list is based on the company's known operational profile rather than a disclosed sourcing breakdown.
Events where you can meet USAA procurement staff
USAA is an active participant in the veteran business and broader supplier diversity conference circuit. These are the events with documented USAA presence or sponsorship:
NaVOBA events. USAA holds exclusive 4-star corporate membership in the National Veteran Owned Business Association. NaVOBA's annual conference is the highest-priority event for veteran-owned businesses targeting USAA. The company's supplier diversity and procurement staff attend, and matchmaking sessions are structured to facilitate direct introductions.
The Rosie Network. USAA sponsors The Rosie Network, a nonprofit focused on military spouse and veteran entrepreneurs. Events hosted by The Rosie Network often include USAA representatives. Military spouse-owned businesses especially should track this organization's programming.
Coalition for Veteran Owned Business. USAA is a founding member. The coalition convenes corporate members and veteran businesses around procurement access and entrepreneurial resources. Check their event calendar for summits and roundtables.
WBENC National Conference. USAA participates in this annual event for women-owned businesses. For WBEs, this is the primary in-person opportunity to meet USAA's supplier diversity function.
National Veterans Small Business Conference (NVSBC). This is the largest annual gathering specifically focused on veteran-owned businesses and federal contracting. USAA has historically attended, consistent with its veteran mission.
The Conference Board Supplier Diversity Council. USAA participates in this executive-level council focused on corporate supplier diversity strategy. Less accessible for individual suppliers, but worth knowing that USAA is active in the practitioner community at this level.
US Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes. USAA attends Hiring Our Heroes employer summits, which include military business and employment access.
For each of these events, the tactic is the same: identify USAA's supplier diversity manager or procurement staff on LinkedIn before the event, send a brief note referencing your certification, NAICS code, and the specific service category you want to discuss, and request five minutes at the matchmaking session or exhibitor hall. A specific introduction converts far more often than a cold email sent after the event.
Realistic timeline and first steps
Registration itself takes under 30 minutes. Getting a purchase order takes longer — significantly longer for most suppliers.
USAA's procurement model is demand-driven. A category manager initiates a sourcing event when there is a defined need; they do not browse supplier directories speculatively. Your job is to be in the system with accurate, specific information, and to build enough recognition with the program team that your name surfaces when a relevant need arises.
A realistic sequence:
Month 1. Download the Prospective Supplier Form from usaa.com. Complete it with a specific service description, your primary NAICS code, and your certification details. Email to supplier.relations@usaa.com. If you do not yet have a third-party certification (SDVOSB, NMSDC MBE, WBENC WBE, or Disability:IN DOBE), begin that process now — most certifications take 60 to 120 days from application to issuance.
Months 2-4. Identify the next NaVOBA event or Rosie Network event on the calendar. Register and attend. Look up USAA's supplier diversity contact on LinkedIn and connect with a brief, specific note before the event. At the event, introduce yourself with your certification type, NAICS code, and one concrete sentence about the specific service you provide.
Months 4-12. Follow up by updating or re-submitting your prospective supplier registration after any event contact. If USAA has a staffed supplier diversity manager, request a brief informational call — not a sales pitch, a 15-minute introduction to share your capabilities and ask what procurement categories are most active for the current fiscal year.
Months 12-24. Expect the first RFP or procurement contact in this window if your category is active. Suppliers who have successfully onboarded at comparable financial services companies typically describe a 12-to-18-month cycle from first contact to first purchase order. Most did not secure a contract on the first registration alone.
USAA's military mission is genuine, not marketing language. If you are a veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned business, this program is worth the investment. The primary differentiator from other Fortune 500 programs is that the people running procurement actually care about the mission — not just the spend reporting.
The short version
Complete the Prospective Supplier Form and email it to supplier.relations@usaa.com. Include your NAICS code, a specific one-sentence service description, and your certification number from the VA, SBA, NMSDC, WBENC, or Disability:IN. Attend the next NaVOBA event. Find USAA's supplier diversity contact on LinkedIn before you go. Budget 12 to 18 months for the cycle to close.
