Procurement & Supply Chain Management Commitment

Duke University and Health System strives to reflect and embrace the diversity of our community. Because our patterns of resource use must reflect this pursuit, Procurement and Supply Chain Management will actively pursue a diverse supplier base.

A high quality of life is attendant upon education and healthcare, two concerns at the core of the Duke mission. Recognizing that historical inequity has resulted in systemic barriers to a high quality of life, we have a responsibility to address these barriers and their perpetuation.

We meet this responsibility by taking an enterprising role in order to afford potential vendors equal opportunity. Working toward supplier diversity adds cultural, operational, and economic value to Duke. By drawing on a broad pool of suppliers, Duke purchasers:

1. Ensure an equitable competitive bidding process
2. Obtain superior quality goods and services
3. Strengthen ties to underutilized business sectors
4. Grow our local and regional economy

As a major force in our intertwined community and economy, we are proud to approach both with an inclusive gaze and collaborative spirit.

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Program Overview

The Duke Supplier Diversity Program began as the Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) program in 1984. Duke currently has a goal that 5% of business will be conducted with minority- and woman-owned firms.

Recently, the program has evolved to more closely reflect the broad diversity of our local community and to become more inclusive for the variety of locally relevant businesses that encounter obstacles to market entry, customer access, and financial growth. These include companies owned and operated by minorities, women, disabled individuals, veterans, and LGBT individuals.

Primary Activities

• Match diverse suppliers with Duke buyers
• Track and reports relevant purchasing patterns
• Promote the use of diverse suppliers within the Duke community
• Identify and prequalify new suppliers
• Educate suppliers as to Duke’s bond, liability, and bid requirements
• Maintain a contact database of diverse suppliers
• Share high performing suppliers with other businesses and organizations
• Ensure that diverse suppliers are included in the competitive bidding process

Key Components

• Leadership Commitment - Procurement & Supply Chain Management
• The Supplier Diversity Coordinator
  • Interfaces with suppliers in order to gather and share information
  • Promotes the program benefits within the Duke community
  • Provides guidance and direction to Supplier Diversity Efforts
• The Supplier Diversity Advisory Committee, composed of members from across Duke University and Health System, guides and assesses program efforts.

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Rationale & Background

A commitment to Supplier Diversity brings financial, operational, and cultural value to our institution. We benefit from the expertise, innovation, and flexibility of businesses in historically underutilized categories. We benefit from open, competitive bidding for business. We benefit from a connected and growing local economy.

The MWBE program began as recognition that business ownership is a key factor in social and financial security and that minorities and women are grossly underrepresented among business owners.

The lasting impact of historical pressures have resulted in an uneven playing field for businesses (such as those owned by minorities, women, disabled individuals, veterans, and LGBT individuals). The resulting systemic barriers - such as those impacting market entry, customer access, and financial growth - maintain this inequity.

Creating true equity of access and opportunity, then, must be an active and strategic process. The Supplier Diversity Program works to build this process so that underutilized business sectors compete on a more fair and open field.