Supplier Diversity Program
A. Summary
Augustana College is committed to the goal of developing mutually beneficial relationships by promoting opportunities to qualified diverse enterprises and fostering the college mission of welcoming diversity to our students, faculty, staff, and community.
B. The business case for using Diverse Suppliers:
• Establishing alternative sources of goods and services
• Augustana expected to practice supplier diversity utilization from the State of Illinois as part of accepting MAP Program grants
• A more widely diverse group of business enterprises from which to choose
• Competitive pricing
• Lowering the costs to the Augustana as a result of increasing the number of suppliers
• Increasing economic sustainability of the local economy by broadening and strengthening the economic base of the region
C. Qualifications Considered To Be Classified As A Diverse Supplier:
• Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE)
• Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE)
• Disability Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE)
Requirements:
1. The business is at least 51% owned and controlled by a minority, woman, or person with disabilities
2. The owner must be a citizen of the United States or legal permanent resident alien
3. Annual gross sales of less than $75 million
Source - As per Illinois Business Enterprise Program
• Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise (VBE)
Requirements:
1. At least 51 percent owned by one or more qualified service disabled veteran or veterans living in Illinois
2. Applicant(s) must have valid DD214( military records)
3. Annual gross sales of less than $75 million
4. Home office in Illinois
Source - As per Veterans Business Program (VBP) Illinois
• Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender Business Enterprise (LGBTBE)
Requirements:
1. Is a for-profit business
2. At least 51% LGBT owned, operated, managed, and controlled by an LGBT person or persons who are either US Citizens or lawful permanent residents
3. Exercises independence from any non-LGBT business enterprise
4. Has been formed as a legal entity in the United States or its trust territories.
Source - As per The LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois
D. Program Objectives
The objectives of this program are to increase:
• the diverse suppliers invited to participate in our opportunities
• the number of diverse suppliers that submit a response to the opportunities
• awareness of diverse suppliers to other departments
• overall spend with diverse suppliers
E. Partnerships to Identify Diverse Suppliers
Striving to maintain a diverse resource of qualified vendors in our procurement process is fundamental. Therefore, we value the partnerships already established and welcome the opportunity to develop new successful business relationships. To assist in achieving the goals of our Supplier Diversity Program, Augustana is affiliated with the following organizations:
• E&I (Educational and Institutional) Cooperative Services
• Omnia Partners Cooperative Services
• Amazon Business
F. Information for Vendors
If you are interested in participating in the Supplier Diversity Program, please complete the Vendor Information Form.
https://colum.formstack.com/forms/supplier_information_form
Some of the information in the above form will be incorporated in the vendor application
For more information, please review the Frequently Asked Questions. If you have any questions, please contact purchasing@augustana.edu.
G. Information for College Departments
Augustana strives to support our local community and vendors. To be counted, the diverse vendors need to be certified as per below recognized certifications.
As user departments, you may find that you frequently use a diverse supplier who may be a small or minority business that’s not yet been certified by Supplier Diversity Program. In this case, you as the end user, are encouraged to recommend said vendors to following links or contact Purchasing at purchasing@augustana.edu:
• Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), Disability Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE)
Illinois Business Enterprise Program
• Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise (VBE)
Veterans Business Program (VBP) Illinois
• Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender Business Enterprise (LGBTBE)
LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois
H. To Search for registered diverse suppliers:
• Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), Disability Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE), Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise (VBE)
https://cms.diversitycompliance.com/
• Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender Business Enterprise (LGBTBE)
http://business.lgbtcc.com/directory