Duke University
OP-T2-24: Historically Underutilized Businesses

Duke University and Health System maintains an award-winning supplier diversity program. Outlined below is the supplier development plan for Duke University and Health System: MWBE Supplier Development Plan Supplier Diversity Mission Statement Duke partners with vendors and organizations who share our commitment to diversity. We strengthen our local community by promoting the development of woman-owned, minority and historically underutilized businesses. Objective Duke University and Duke Medicine are making a substantial effort to better diversify our vendor base by working with more Minority and Woman-Owned Business Enterprises, particularly in the local area. In order to achieve this goal, we work with each Sourcing Manager and purchaser to reevaluate their current selection practices, with the intent to identify opportunities for diverse vendors to provide goods or services to our organization. Through monthly meet and greet sessions, potential suppliers learn about Duke and the procurement process while networking with other diverse suppliers. Sourcing Managers often attend these meetings. Regardless of attendance, they receive information about MWBEs that have contacted us or that we have personally met who are asking to work with Duke University and Duke University Health System. This information is specific to their area of expertise and influence, and we ask that they review the information, determine if DU or DUHS has a current or future need for this service, then contact the vendor directly to let them know the current status of that particular commodity. We ask that they contact these vendors within one week of receiving their information. After speaking with them and qualifying them as a viable option, they may also discover that the vendor’s information should be sent to a different Procurement representative, or someone outside of Procurement. The Sourcing Manager who initially receives the vendor information will be ultimately responsible for sending the information to the appropriate party, if deemed necessary. The Program Coordinator for the Supplier Diversity program will then follow up to ensure the vendor has been contacted, and log any information that may prove useful during future audits. We continually outreach to the local MWBE businesses through trade shows, presentations and sponsored events. We ask that potential vendors provide us with several pieces of information about their business, as well as a copy of their minority status certification from an issuing authority. We have an MWBE advisory board, which is made up of key personnel from every area of the University and Duke Medicine, and they are charged with communicating this information to their individual areas of the campus. It is at these meetings that our quarterly MWBE spend reports are distributed, new vendors are discussed and potential program improvements are evaluated. Through local "Meet the Purchaser", "Speed Dating", MEDWeek events, Pinehurst Executive Networking Conferences and other CMSDC events, we have maintained an active presence in the local community with regards to supplier diversity. It is at these events that we have the opportunity to meet with potential vendors one-on-one, and help them learn to do business with Duke. Additionally, we intentionally partner with vendors and organizations that understand our supplier diversity commitment, and in turn establish similar programs within their own companies. In addition to helping grow diverse vendor businesses, we believe in supporting the organizations that help us achieve our goals. We have assisted in the planning of a multitude of events including the annual CMSDC Gala, the Coordinator’s Network Annual Conference and MED Week events. We present information about developing supplier diversity programs to universities and business partners across the country and help educate diverse suppliers at conferences such as BOC as well as through daily interaction. For many years, Duke has actively partnered and participated in diverse, local community events through the Duke/Durham Neighborhood Partnership, and sponsored and participated in various MWBE awareness and educational events. These events are in conjunction with NCIMED, CMSDC, UMCNC, Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Durham Chamber of Commerce, WBENC and the Carolinas Forum. Through the Duke Fuqua School of Business and the Minority Business Consulting Program, women and minority-owned businesses can partner with Graduate Business students to help develop their businesses. Duke and Duke Medicine have also taken the initiative to hire a Program Coordinator for the Supplier Diversity Program, who is dedicated to helping teach and better communicate with MWBEs interested in doing business with Duke. Duke is committed to supporting the development of local, minority and woman-owned businesses so that they may continue to prosper in the Duke and Durham communities.