The Golden Opportunity: Powering Small Businesses in the World's 5th Largest Economy

99.8% of California businesses are small businesses - that's over 4 million firms driving innovation and job growth across the state. We're proud to help power their ambition with the reliable network they deserve.

CA Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

General Order (GO) 156

The CPUC regulates privately owned electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, railroad, rail transit, and passenger transportation companies. The Commission enacted GO 156 in 1988 as part of a fundamental and ongoing goal of advancing the American and Californian private enterprise marketplace through free, open and transparent competition. The CPUC believes that this can only be fully realized by harnessing the actual and potential capacity of all persons.

Supplier Clearinghouse

To maximize contract opportunities with Verizon and California utilities, eligible small businesses are highly encouraged to register with the CPUC Supplier Clearinghouse. This certification is free of charge, valid for three years, and provides increased visibility in the central database used for supplier sourcing. Registration is essential for accessing major California contracts and requires meeting specific business ownership and operational requirements.

To learn more about GO156 and Verizon's compliance with the CPUC, please visit: https://thesupplierclearinghouse.com/

Our Commitment to California Small Businesses
$500M in
Supplier
Spend by
2030

" At Verizon, we recognize that small businesses are the backbone of the US economy and through the Small Business Supplier Accelerator, we will not only strengthen those businesses but help the country create a more resilient supply chain."

James Gowen
Senior Vice President
Global Supply Chain & Sustainability

What We Buy

Verizon’s purchasing needs span a wide array of categories, from the highly technical equipment that forms the backbone of its network to the professional services required to operate the best network in America. These needs are driven by its consumer and business-facing product offerings, its internal corporate functions, and its strategic technological direction.

Verizon’s supply chain is heavily influenced by its core business of providing mobile and home internet services. This necessitates a constant demand for network hardware, software, and the skilled labor to deploy and maintain it. Furthermore, its expansion into new technology frontiers, such as 5G, IoT, and fleet management solutions through Verizon Connect, creates procurement needs for specialized components, platforms, and services.

Verizon's Key Procurement Categories and Descriptions

Category	Sub-Category	Description & Examples
Network & Infrastructure	Cell Site Equipment and Services	Maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) for cell towers and sites, including HVAC services, electrical contracting, tower leasing, and access.
	Outside Plant and Test Equipment	Installation, splicing, and maintenance of fiber optic and copper cables; trenching, boring, and pole placement services; specialized network testing equipment.
	Engineering and Installation Services	Network design, civil engineering, site acquisition, and professional installation services for network hardware and customer premise equipment.
	Access, Transport and Video Products/Services	Procurement of network transport services, video content delivery network (CDN) components, and related hardware.
IT & Digital Transformation	IT Hardware, Software, and Services	Servers, routers, switches, enterprise software licensing, cybersecurity platforms, cloud computing services, and managed IT services.
	Edge Data, Switching and Network OSS	Components and services supporting 5G Edge computing, network switching infrastructure, and Operational Support Systems (OSS) for network management.
Corporate & Professional Services	Marketing and Advertising	Digital marketing agencies, media buying services, creative services, public relations, market research, and commercial printing.
	HR Benefits and Training	Third-party administration of employee benefits, corporate training and development programs, recruiting services, and HR consulting.
	Financial and Legal Services	Accounting, auditing, tax consulting, management consulting, and external legal services.
	Professional Services	General business consulting, project management, and other specialized professional expertise.
Operations & Logistics	Logistics, Fleet and Travel	Third-party logistics (3PL), transportation and freight services, fleet vehicle acquisition and maintenance, GPS tracking solutions, and corporate travel management.
	Real Estate and Security Services	Facilities management, commercial real estate services, physical security guard services, and alarm monitoring.
	Sustainable Products/Services	Sourcing of products with recycled content (e.g., paper), e-waste recycling and disposal services, and other environmentally responsible goods and services.
	Printing and Document Management	Large-scale printing of marketing collateral and customer bills, secure document shredding, and enterprise document management solutions.

Qualification and participation in these programs do not guarantee current or future contracting opportunities with Verizon.