Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Don't Forget Supplier Diversity

  • 02/01/17

Supplier diversity programs are in place in many campus procurement departments at both large and small, public and private institutions, in order to encourage buying from a wide variety of suppliers, including small suppliers and businesses owned by people from demographic groups that have been historically discriminated against.

At the City University of New York (CUNY), for example, the university has an overall 30 percent MWBE (minority- and women-owned business enterprises) participation goal and 6 percent SDVOB (service-disabled veteran owned businesses) participation goal. Every CUNY campus (senior colleges, community colleges, honors and professional schools) is required to make a good faith effort to achieve the university’s MWBE and SDVOB goal.

At the University of Washington in Seattle, Purchasing Services is committed to ensuring that minority-owned, women-owned, small, disadvantaged, HUB Zone (historically underutilized business zones), veteran-owned and service-disabled-veteran owned businesses have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in purchasing and contracting at the university of Washington.

Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH, states a long-term objective to attain 15 percent of its annual volume in Tier I minority- and woman-owned spend.

Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, is known as one of the premier supplier diversity programs in higher education in the U.S. The university has received numerous awards for its work to develop a diverse supplier base and to increase the contracts awarded to Indiana women and minority businesses. Information on Purdue’s commitment and processes can be explored at www.purdue.edu/supplierdiversity.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.