Page 27 - College Planning & Management, March 2019

underutilized small and minority busi- nesses are invited to bid and receive the tools and information needed to respond to solicitations.
“In the best-case scenarios, these businesses will earn contract awards to provide goods and services, along with the opportunity to build lasting relationships,” continues Cook.
The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) has a strong supplier diversity program, according to Duane M. Bullock, the university’s manager of Supplier Diversity and Environmentally Responsible Purchasing. “The university is committed to the goals
of nondiscrimination and to giving fair consideration for all vendors in its procurement programs,” he says.
The Supplier Diversity Program serves as a liaison between the diversity vendor community and all university staff with procurement responsibilities, continues Bullock.
Why is Supplier Diversity Important?
Supplier diversity brings more suppli- ers into the mix, which is a help to small business suppliers and underused minor- ity suppliers, as well as start-up compa- nies. “Supplier diversity includes small businesses, women, minority, veterans, nonprofit, physically challenged, Alaska natives, and other groups that may need a boost,” says Crawford.
Cook agrees, noting that supplier diversity allows historically underutilized small and minority businesses the oppor- tunity to add their increased competition, innovation, and flexibility—among other things—to the solicitation process. “Sup- plier diversity makes good business sense, and it is the right thing to do,” she says. “The success of small and minority busi- nesses translates to economic growth not only for them but also for their surround- ing communities and the state in which they reside. We all benefit when small and minority businesses succeed.”
Profile of a Supplier Diversity Program
“Penn State’s program aims to provide opportunities for small, diverse firms to compete for PSU’s business,” Bullock says. “When we first started the program—back in 2004—we wanted to reach out to firms in a diverse business community.”
Bullock notes, however, that such a goal posed difficulties. The main university cam- pus is located in Central Pennsylvania, a largely rural and suburban area that is not par- ticularly diverse. “To overcome that problem, we outreached to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh,
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