Introduction
The University is committed to developing mutually beneficial relationships with small, minority-owned, women-owned, disadvantaged, veteran owned and local business enterprises. The Supplier Diversity Policy reflects Brown's desire to create opportunity for suppliers to market their products to the University and to encourage University departments/schools to offer opportunities to such suppliers.
Policy Statement
When all business considerations are determined to be equal among competitive suppliers, the University will award contracts to local small businesses, minority owned business enterprises (MBE), women owned business enterprises (WBE), disadvantaged, and veteran owned businesses.
The Campus Community is encouraged to explore opportunities to obtain services and goods from certified diversity suppliers that can provide competitive quality and pricing.
Responsibilities
Strategic Purchasing, Contracts & Insurance: Encourage departments to explore opportunities to include and utilize small, minority-owned diversity suppliers (MBE/WBE) to compete for business and from whom to obtain goods and services whenever possible.
Department Managers: All department managers should explore opportunities to obtain goods and services from diversity suppliers.
Procedures
The Strategic Purchasing, Contracts & Insurance Department will participate with local initiatives in order to maintain awareness of resources and will encourage diversity suppliers to meet with staff to review product/service specifications, and review supplier qualifications including licenses, certification, and insurance requirements as appropriate.
The Strategic Purchasing, Contracts & Insurance Department will assist as a departmental resource in the development of MBE sub-contract spending goals for Federally funded research projects as required by PL 95-507, 1978 to contracts in excess of $500,000 and $1,000,000 for construction.
Departments should search the local state government websites to identify diversity suppliers whenever possible.
For information and assistance with Supplier Diversity, please email SupplierDiversity@Brown.edu.