California Supplier Clearinghouse Certification
California’s regulated utilities are required to spend a percentage of their procurement dollars with certified diverse vendors. The entity that verifies those vendors is the Supplier Clearinghouse. If your interpreting provider is not certified through it, that spend does not count toward your utility’s diversity goals.
What the Supplier Clearinghouse Is
The California Supplier Clearinghouse is the sole entity authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to certify women, minority, disabled veteran, and LGBT-owned businesses for participation in utility supplier diversity programs.
This certification is specific to the CPUC’s General Order 156, which requires regulated utilities to report their procurement spending with diverse suppliers. The Clearinghouse verifies ownership, control, and operational status before issuing certification.
It is a separate process from MWBE or SCMSDC certification. A business can hold one without the other. For utility procurement, only Clearinghouse certification counts.
Who Uses It
California’s investor-owned utilities, including Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, and San Diego Gas and Electric, are required to maintain supplier diversity programs under GO 156. Large telecommunications companies regulated by the CPUC have similar obligations.
These companies collectively spend billions in procurement annually. Their supplier diversity teams actively seek Clearinghouse-certified vendors across all service categories.
How It Applies to Interpreting
Utilities operate across California’s linguistically diverse population. They need interpreting services for community outreach, customer service, regulatory proceedings, safety communications, and internal operations.
When a utility’s procurement team sources interpreting services, they check whether the vendor is Clearinghouse certified. If the vendor is not, that contract does not contribute to the utility’s GO 156 reporting. The procurement team has an incentive to find certified providers.
The Certification Process
Clearinghouse certification requires documentation of ownership structure, tax returns, financial statements, and proof of operational control by the qualifying owner. The Clearinghouse reviews applications, may request additional documentation, and issues certification upon approval.
Certification must be renewed annually. The Clearinghouse conducts periodic audits to verify ongoing eligibility.
Why This Matters for Procurement Teams
If you manage procurement for a CPUC-regulated entity, your supplier diversity numbers are reported publicly. The CPUC reviews them. Advocacy groups review them. Your organization’s commitment to diverse procurement is measured in documented, verified spend.
Every contract with a non-certified vendor is spend that does not appear in your diversity report. In specialized service categories like government interpreting, finding Clearinghouse-certified providers gives your program measurable results.
Beyond Utilities
While the Clearinghouse serves the CPUC-regulated sector specifically, other California agencies and corporations recognize its certification as credible third-party verification of diverse ownership. It adds another layer of validated credentials for procurement teams across industries.
The Credential That Counts
In California’s regulated industries, supplier diversity is not aspirational. It is reported, tracked, and reviewed. The Supplier Clearinghouse is the gatekeeper.
Kaplan Interpreting Services is certified through the California Supplier Clearinghouse. When your utility, telecommunications company, or regulated entity needs interpreting services from a verified diverse supplier, the certification behind the provider matters. Call (833) 547-7770 or visit kaplaninterpreting.com/quote to request an interpreter.
CEO & Founder
Born in Dallas, Texas, Alexandra grew up surrounded by Spanish, English, Arabic, and Italian. After moving to Venezuela, Spanish became her primary language. She holds a Master's in Healthcare Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and is a California court certified and medical interpreter.
She founded Kaplan Interpreting Services after seeing an industry that treated interpreters as interchangeable and clients as ticket numbers. She built a protocol-driven operation where every interpreter is hand-selected and credentialed for the specific setting, every client has a dedicated point of contact, and risk management is built into every assignment.
Her career reached a historic milestone when she interpreted the conversation between President-elect Biden and Pope Francis. That assignment, along with engagements for Nike and the Summit of the Americas, set the standard for every client engagement that followed.
"The same protocols that protected that historic conversation now protect every assignment we handle."