Socially Responsible Purchasing: Featured Stories From This Term
August 9, 2021
In February 2021, Drexel University reaffirmed its commitment to increasing supplier inclusion and sustainable procurement practices after a year in which both the global and local economies were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout fiscal year 2022, Accounts Payable (AP) and Procurement Services will share resources and success stories related to this initiative — from inspiring interactions with local businesses to interesting and sustainable surplus sales — to keep the momentum going and hold ourselves accountable. Below are just a few recent highlights demonstrating the team's commitment to their goals, and to the community at large.
Wexford UCity Projects Vendor Open House
On May 5, Drexel University Accounts Payable and Procurement Services attended the Wexford UCity Projects Vendor Open House, an outreach event for local, minority, women and disadvantaged businesses. The event was hosted by Turner Construction, McKissack & McKissack, Perryman Construction, Clemens Construction Company, and Maven Inc. This open house event served as a way for local diverse businesses to meet general contractors, trade partners, and consultants who are working on Wexford projects in the University City area. To help promote social distancing, the event was hosted outdoors and was divided into tiered focus groups.
The event was a success in terms of outreach coming out of the global pandemic. Over 40 minority and women business enterprises attended the event to collaborate with the organizers and their associates. The organizers of this event look forward to hosting similar outreach events and building strong partnerships with diverse businesses in our community.
New Catalog of Diverse Spenders
As part of our Supplier Inclusion initiative, AP and Procurement Services have completed a catalog of diverse suppliers to help provide information on the diverse businesses Drexel engages with. The catalog, which is updated regularly, is composed of minority, women, LGBTQ+, veteran, service-disabled and small businesses from a wide range of industries, including construction, apparel manufacturing, technology and management consulting services. The list includes a capability statement from each company describing the types of goods or services they provide. We hope that providing the Drexel community with more exposure to local businesses through this catalog will increase access to procurement opportunities for these businesses.
Fun Stuff Surplus Sold
Drexel Surplus found a new home for Mr. Hurt — a nurse, who can use it to practice bandaging!
Thanks to Drexel Surplus, these animal enclosures are now being used by a raptor bird owner.
Drexel and African American Chamber of Commerce Partner to Help Minority-Owned Businesses
AP and Procurement Services will be partnering with the African American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in Drexel’s Procurement Repurposing Program. Procurement Services will be donating surplus HP printers acquired through HP’s Rewards Program to minority-owned businesses registered with the AACC. Appliances that will be given away as part of this program include the HP PageWide Pro 477dw All-in-One Inkjet Printer and the HP LaserJet Pro M227fdn All-in-One Monochrome Laser Printer. Procurement Services and the AACC hope that this giveaway will provide diverse businesses in need of office equipment with resources that will help them succeed.