Drexel University Proudly Supports Black- and Brown-owned Businesses
June 18, 2020
As Drexel University has renewed its pledge to address systemic and institutional racism within our nation, our communities and our campus, Drexel Procurement Services would like to shed some light on the steps we have taken and the options we are considering to support this goal through our Supplier Inclusion Initiative.
We know that we have work to do to better support Black- and Brown-owned businesses, particularly in our local community, and even more so as the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on small businesses. Over the past few months, Procurement Services has allocated additional resources, programming and engagement to give Black- and Brown-owned businesses access to procurement opportunities within Drexel University. We have extended Drexel Surplus to now reach our local community partners and will continue to advocate for the growth and development of Black- and Brown-owned businesses. As a University, we have increased our efforts to connect local businesses to subcontracting and Tier 2 opportunities with prime suppliers in areas where local and diverse businesses have had limited access. We will continue to identify opportunities for internal growth and continued collaboration with businesses in our community.
While Drexel is not immune from the significant financial impact of COVID-19, we would like to make our small, local and diverse suppliers and prospective suppliers aware that we are dedicated, now more than ever, to our inclusion efforts and equitable distribution of procurement opportunities. In furtherance of these efforts and in recognition of the current economic challenges, we are exploring initiatives including:
- accelerated payment options to assist with cash flow for small businesses—Procurement Services will evaluate individual supplier needs on a case-by-case basis;
- enhanced focus on small, local or diverse business status during competitive events;
- increased opportunities to interface with Strategic Sourcing (see below for how to engage with Supplier Inclusion);
- and more, based on the needs of our community.
Please see our Supplier Inclusion website for details on Drexel’s inclusion program and contact information for our team. If you are facing financial barriers to doing business with Drexel imposed by COVID-19, we encourage you to contact us. Please also be aware of the resources listed below: