Procurement and Participation

• The development of new policies and practices to reduce barriers to certification, bidding, and contracting.
• The creation of a culture of transparency and accountability where supplier diversity is a priority for all leaders and is better embedded in an organization’s business strategy.
• Connecting BBE owners with networks, support, and resources that may be unknown or underutilized through proactive identification, targeted engagement, and delivering more practical and relevant content.

Procurement Roundtable

Fortunately, the P&P Task force has already begun to take action. In August, the task force launched the BEI Procurement Roundtable led through a partnership between the Indy Chamber and Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council to guide companies in creating a supplier diversity program that best meets its needs by focusing on a minimum of eight key best practices. Support for members includes:

• Quarterly opportunities to share best practices and learn from leading organizations in supplier diversity.
• Access to resources to identify local, diverse suppliers with the capabilities to meet their business’s needs.
• Facilitation of their investment to help local, Black-owned businesses and businesses owned by other people of color grow and scale.

Mid-States MSDC’s certification through the National Minority Supplier Development Council is known as the gold standard in MBE certification, nationally. Through this partnership, the BEI Procurement Roundtable hopes to help Black business enterprises connect with corporations and anchor institutions and ultimately, to drive MBE certifications that result in contracting opportunities.