Rice University
Tier2-1: Historically Underutilized Businesses

As described in the university's Purchasing Payment Manual: "The University is committed to promoting opportunities for small business, minority and women vendors to participate in the University’s purchasing of goods and services. To promote vendor participation with this subset of vendors, University purchasers should make efforts to: • use small business, minority-owned firms, and women’s business enterprises are used to the fullest extent practicable and cost effective. • provide available information regarding forthcoming opportunities and arrange time frames for purchases and contracts to encourage and facilitate participation by small businesses, minority-owned firms, and women’s business enterprises. • consider in the contract process whether firms competing for larger contracts intend to subcontract with small businesses, minority-owned firms and women’s business enterprises when a contract is too large for one of these firms to handle individually. • use the services and assistance, as appropriate, of such organizations as the Small Business Administration, the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency, and the Houston Minority Business Council in the solicitation and utilization of small businesses, minority-owned firms and women's business enterprises."