Growing the capacity of local and diverse vendors in underserved communities does not have to happen alone—who else is on your team?
Outside partners
Who do you already work with, and with what organizations do you still need to cultivate relationships? List the following organizations in your community, and determine who you need to reach out to.
| Organization Type | Potential Partners |
|---|---|
| Local minority chambers of commerce, women-owned business entities, or other diverse supplier networks |
|
| National Minority Supplier Diversity Council and local/regional affiliates | |
| Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, or similar city or county agency or department | |
| Local business support organizations, such as small business development centers, loan funds, technical assistance providers, etc. |
|
| Cooperative incubators or support organizations focused on worker-, employee- and cooperatively owned businesses |
|
| Credit unions and area financial institutions with Community Reinvestment Act requirements | |
| Local community foundations or other locally based foundations | |
| Community-based organizations focused on employment and job readiness | |
| Food hubs, farmers’ cooperatives, or other entities focused on local food distribution infrastructure | |
| Other anchor institution partners (e.g. health systems, universities, community colleges, public schools, city and county governments) |
|
| Supply chain integrators1These include medical supply distributors, distribution centers, group purchasing organizations, and other such entities. For a full definition, refer to the Key Terms section. | |
| Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) |
Inside Partners
Who are the key players within your own organization that can help move this effort forward? List any staff members in these categories that could provide resources and expertise for an inclusive, local sourcing program. Who is already on board, and who still needs to learn about the initiative?
| Internal Capacities | Key staff members |
|---|---|
| Senior leadership (includes c-suite leadership staff, board members, the strategic planning team, etc.) | |
| Managers with purchasing power at the departmental level, or who oversee budgeting and purchasing requests | |
| Community outreach and government relations staff |
|
| Invoice processing staff |
|
| Legal department member with knowledge of contracting | |
| Legal department member with knowledge of risk management | |
| Office of diversity and inclusion staff |
|
| Information Technology & software management | |
| Community health, population health, or health equity department staff | |
| Construction and/or real estate department staff | |
| Construction union representation | |
| Staff overseeing health system’s local hiring initiative | |
| Facilities and maintenance department staff | |
| Real estate and/or planning department staff | |
| Sustainability department staff |
Measure your supply chain baseline
Where and who are you currently purchasing from?
Survey your procurement policies and practices
What policies and processes are working, and which are barriers to success?
Map your community's assets
How can you link with existing networks and efforts to support local and diverse purchasing?
Understand your purchasing pipeline
Who contributes to purchasing decisions at your institution, and how are decisions made?
Scale and sustain impact
How do you institutionalize priorities and create organizational alignment?
References
| 1. | ↑ | These include medical supply distributors, distribution centers, group purchasing organizations, and other such entities. For a full definition, refer to the Key Terms section. |
