UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL
FLORIDA
Minority-Owned and Woman-Owned
or Small Business Enterprise
Participation Plan
2008/2009
Submitted To:
Dr. John C. Hitt, President
University of Central Florida
4000 Central Florida Blvd
Orlando, FL 32816
Submitted By:
Tamara V. Hall
Purchasing Department
Orlando Tech Center
12479 Research Parkway
Orlando, FL 32826
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION A
THE PLAN’S ROUTING AND APPROVALS
• Request from the Office of Supplier Diversity
• Plan to President Hitt
• President Hitt’s Approval
• Plan to the Office of Supplier Diversity and Chancellor’s
Office
SECTION B
INTRODUCTION
SECTION C
PLAN’S GENERAL INFORMATION
• Authority
• Objective
• Procurement Rules for Each Industry Area
SECTION D
MINORITY-OWNED AND WOMAN-OWNED OR SMALL
BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PARTICIPATION PLAN
• Responses to the Florida Office of Supplier Diversity’s
Questions
SECTION E
MINORITY-OWNED AND WOMAN-OWNED OR SMALL
BUSINESS ENTERPRISE EXPENDITURE REPORTS
Appendix 1 July 2008 Supports Current Spending
Appendix 2 Supports FY2007/2008 Total Expenditures
INTRODUCTION
The One Florida Initiative and past court rulings made establishing goals, setasides, and price preferences based upon race or agenda illegal. The courts also
ruled that having a program that facilitates giving a diverse company an
advantage over any other company in a business transaction is unconstitutional.
In consideration of the aforementioned changes, the Florida Office of Supplier
Diversity has requested all Governmental entities to change from a Minority
Business Utilization Program to a Small Business Participation Program that
focuses mainly on small businesses, including minority-owned and woman-owned
businesses. In light of this, the Office of Supplier Diversity recommended that all
governmental entities gauge their success by how much more is spent over each
previous year with small and diverse companies.
The University of Central Florida (UCF) expanded its socioeconomic program to
include small businesses and locally certified minority businesses during fiscal
year (FY) 2002/2003. Our program now encompasses the total dollars spent with
all applicable certified business enterprises that are minority-owned, womanowned or small businesses (S/MWBE) in addition to state certified entities.
Below are the differences between last year’s FY 2006/2007 expenditures and
that of FY 2007/2008. FY 2006/2007 expenditures differ from what was reported
because of a recently discovered error in our reporting queries. The error has
since been corrected and increased the accuracy in reporting.
FY 06-07
FY 07-08
DIFFERENCE
PERCENTAGE
DIFFERENCE
Construction
$4,097,725
$5,435,965
$1,338,240
32.66%
Commodities
Contractual
Services
Architects &
Engineers (A&E)
$9,075,871
$10,949,428
$1,873,557
20.64%
$2,519,884
$5,193,510
$2,673,626
106.10%
$266,773
$171,732
-$95,041
-35.63%
$173,429
$75,485
-$97,944
-56.47%
$16,133,682
$21,826,120
$5,692,438
35.28%
CATEGORY
Local Certification
TOTAL
We will identify the significant milestones in outreach initiatives throughout our
fiscal year 2008/2009 business plan for Minority-Owned and Woman-Owned or
Small Business Enterprise Participation Plan. The outreach initiatives, taking into
consideration that set-asides and goals pertaining to expenditures with
S/MWBEs are no longer appropriate, will gauge the success of our program.
PLAN’S GENERAL INFORMATION
AUTHORITY
The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees
OBJECTIVE OF THE PLAN
To implement contracting programs and services designed to promote the
participation of small businesses, including those owned by women and
minorities.
PROCUREMENT PROCESS FOR EACH INDUSTRY AREA
The procurement process for commodities, contractual services, minor
construction (under $1,000,000) and architectural and engineering contracts
for minor construction are described in UCF’s Purchasing Regulations. The
process for major construction (normally over $1,000,000) and architectural
and engineering for major projects is described in UCF’s Facilities Planning
Regulations and is administered by the Facilities Planning Department at the
university level.
MINORITY-OWNED, WOMAN-OWNED OR SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE
PARTICIPATION PLAN
1. The University’s mission, vision and statement of commitment for
enhancing supplier diversity.
Mission
Diversity in Contracts’ mission is to create opportunities for greater
supplier diversity and to become further embedded in UCF’s
organizational processes by engaging administration, staff, and faculty in
encouraging business opportunities with those enterprises that are
minority-owned, woman-owned or small (S/MWBE).
Vision
The vision of the University of Central Florida Purchasing Department’s
Diversity in Contracts program is to have a fair and equitable purchasing
environment with a vendor supply chain that includes and welcomes
S/MWBEs who can meet the needs and standards of our university.
Statement of Commitment
Our statement for enhancing supplier diversity comes from our President
John C. Hitt, which reads, “One of the first goals I established for UCF
when I became president in 1992 was for UCF to become more inclusive
and diverse. Just as we strive to recruit and retain creative and talented
students, faculty, and staff members who represent the communities we
serve, we also cultivate an aggressive supplier diversity program that
provides opportunities for minority-owned, woman-owned or small
businesses to enhance the economic vitality of our region and provide
quality goods and services to the university. We believe that supplier
diversity promotes good corporate citizenship that leads to the best value
for all of our stakeholders. Encouraging supplier diversity is a win-win
strategy for UCF and the entrepreneurs with whom we partner.”
2. Identify the University’s senior official responsible for monitoring and
implementing our plan; also explain how you track progress and adjust
your strategy if necessary.
Our current contact person responsible for monitoring and implementing
our program for businesses that are small, minority-owned and womanowned (S/MWBE) at the University of Central Florida will remain Tamara
V. Hall. Please continue to direct correspondence and materials to:
Ms. Tamara V. Hall
Assistant Director, Diversity in Contracts
Purchasing Department
Orlando Tech Center
12479 Research Parkway
Orlando, FL 32826-3248
E-mail: tamhall@mail.ucf.edu
Phone: (407) 823-3514 Fax: (407) 823-5551
Ms. Hall tracks our progress by reviewing monthly and quarterly S/MWBE
expenditures and responding to vendor feedback. This past year we
altered our strategy to include highlighting vendor success stories to dispel
the negative feedback and myths of S/MWBEs being unsuccessful when
targeting UCF for business opportunities.
3. The University’s proposed establishment of a minority business
enterprise contracting program and/or other special programs aimed at
promoting the participation of certified businesses, including those
certified by Florida’s Office of Supplier Diversity.
The Diversity in Contracts program at UCF was established over 20 years
ago and provides outreach to minority-owned and woman-owned business
enterprises (S/MWBEs) as noted in Section C. Additionally, part of our
monthly vendor reconciliation process involves verifying S/MWBE
vendors’ certification and their expenditures for the possibility that they
might be certified by Florida’s Office of Supplier Diversity. For this reason,
we are noting this section as “not applicable.”
4. The University’s proposed outreach activities targeting both certified
and non-certified minority and women business enterprises, informing
them about available public contracting opportunities and encouraging
them to seek work on public projects through the normal purchasing
process for all businesses. Include your plans to participate in the
annual Matchmaker Conference and Trade Show and other regional
Matchmaker workshops held in the state.
S/MWBE TARGETING EFFORTS
To begin targeting both certified and non-certified S/MWBEs, the Diversity
in Contracts Assistant Director (DCAD) initiates S/WMBE outreach
awareness efforts at UCF. She reviews all Invitations to Bid and Requests
for Proposal, assigns additional qualified S/MWBEs to the vendor mailing
lists, and ensures a substantial number of those firms get an opportunity
to submit bids and proposals.
UCF also partners with local S/MWBE community agencies, informing
their members of the availability of particular public contract opportunities
and encouraging such firms to seek work on public projects through the
normal procurement process as applied to all businesses. A distribution
list of those agencies was created to facilitate sending out UCF Requests
for Proposal and Invitations to Bid announcements via e-mail. Both large
and small opportunities continue to be distributed using this method.
Participating agencies are as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
African American Chamber of Commerce
Caribbean Chamber of Commerce
Florida Black Business Investment Board
Florida Minority Supplier Development Council
Florida Minority Business Opportunity Committee
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Hispanic Business Initiative Fund
M/WBE Alliance
National Association of Minority Contractors, Mid Florida Chapter
National Association of Women in Construction
State of Florida-Office of Supplier Diversity
UCF Small Business Development Center
All
bids
are
posted
on
our
purchasing
Web
site
at
www.purchasing.mail.ucf.edu, and are accessible to all. Information on our
general purchasing processes and vendor registration are also posted.
The Diversity in Contract Assistant Director ensures contact information
concerning S/MWBEs is available to all Purchasing Agents and provides
updated information as it changes. She also assists Purchasing Agents and
other departments in searching and selecting S/MWBE sources from
Florida’s Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD) directory and the Central
Contractor Database (CCR), formerly PRO-NET, as well as a variety of
other sources. All Purchasing Agents have access to Internet directories
and use this to seek S/MWBEs as needed.
PLANNED OUTREACH EVENTS
The Purchasing Department staff proactively takes advantage of any
opportunity to introduce new minority and small business sources,
partnering with local S/MWBE community organizations, and attends
activities promoting diversity in contracts. The annual OSD Matchmaker
for the State of Florida was included in our outreach activities last year as
it is this year.
FY 2007/2008 External Outreach
Last fiscal year the staff participated in 12 major S/MWBE trade shows
and outreach events as shown below.
•
•
•
FMSDC 24th Annual Trade Show, 8/07
UCF Small Business Development Center’s “Doing Business with
Government Entities,” 9/07
National Minority Supplier Development Council’s 35th Annual
Trade Fair and Business Conference,10/07
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
OSD’s Annual Trade Fair and Minority Business Matchmaker,
11/07
National Institute of Government Purchasers’ Reverse Show,
11/07
University of Florida’s Diversity and Small Business Trade Show,
3/08
Hispanic Business Initiative Fund and Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce - Annual Minority Business Opportunity Session, 4/08
Black Business Initiative Fund’s 12th Annual Business Networking
Event, 5/08
21st Annual Government Small Business Conference, University of
South Florida Small Business Development Center, 5/08
African American Chamber’s, “How to do Business with UCF,” 6/08
FMSDC’s Central Chapter Meeting with Disney’s Procurement
Team, 6/08
FY 2007/2008 Internal Outreach
A variety of internal outreach events that linked S/MWBEs directly with key
departments and opportunities were also held in FY 2007/2008. These
internal outreach events, as summarized below, were successful and
might be repeated again FY 2008/2009.
Facilities Planning Outreach
In October, the second installment (April 2007 was the first) of a
Facilities Planning workshop was held. The workshop educates
businesses on how to bid on the University’s larger construction
projects. Facilities Planning Director Pete Newman and Facilities’ Gina
Seabrook presented the workshop entitled, “Facilities Selection Review
Process.” The workshop included do’s and don’ts, a breakdown of the
proposal process, and a presentation on “How to present your
company’s capabilities,” by Balfour Beatty Construction. Attendees
were invited to schedule one on one appointment times with Facilities
and review successful bid proposals.
Success Story: John J. Christie, a minority-owned business,
attended the event, followed the steps to success, and later won
the Facilities Planning’s Digitalizing Project.
Information Technologies & Resources
In March, the Purchasing Department hosted an industry only outreach
event focused on Information Technology (IT) related opportunities.
Chief Information Officer Joel Hartman and Chief Technology Officer
Robert Yanckello, presented on identifying small and medium IT
related purchasing opportunities at the University. They also discussed
how internal decisions are made and the best route for vendors to take
when doing business with the university. Over 40 small to medium
sized companies attended. Also present for a networking and panel
Q/A section, were seven University departments that represented a
sample of UCF’s IT community. The UCF Computer Store also
participated. The event was video taped and will be used for future
presentations. The presentation links are below.
UCF Purchasing, Diversity in IT Contracts Forum Video Links
http://engage.ucf.edu:28158/ramgen/ucf/fa/purchasing/2008diversityforum/fullforum.smil (Complete Video)
http://engage.ucf.edu:28158/ramgen/ucf/fa/purchasing/2008diversityforum/bob.rm
http://engage.ucf.edu:28158/ramgen/ucf/fa/purchasing/2008diversityforum/joel.rm
http://engage.ucf.edu:28158/ramgen/ucf/fa/purchasing/2008diversityforum/panel.rm
UCF/Balfour Beatty Construction/JCB Construction/SBDC
In April 2008, the University partnered with Balfour Beatty Construction
to host a construction only event focused on the UCF College of
Medicine building project. The planned College of Medicine will make a
huge impact to Central Florida, and it was important to welcome the
community as partners in its future success. At the event, Balfour
Beatty shared bid opportunities and qualification information to
businesses that were S/MWBEs. A “How to do Business with UCF”
presentation was given and Pete Newman encouraged diversity in
contracts. Over 200 businesses attended and heard the “UCF Stands
for Opportunity” message. Representatives from the College of
Medicine also gave an update on the college’s progress and the UCF
leading partnership university message. The UCF Small Business
Development Center (SBDC) and minority-owned company, JCB
Construction were also featured and co-sponsored the event.
UCF Supplier Diversity Day May 2008
In May 2008, we successfully executed Supplier Diversity Day with
over 200 minority-owned and woman-owned businesses in
attendance. University Relations helped coordinate this event again
this year and also secured Orange County Commissioner Tiffany
Moore Russell as a featured speaker. Another featured speaker was
Administration and Finance Vice President Bill Merck. A few
department representatives and vendors mentioned that it was
meaningful to hear Mr. Merck speak and see him networking along
with the departments. His presence was a positive experience for all.
In total, 30 UCF departments were exhibitors along with seven of
UCF’s current construction contractors. Women Studies allowed one of
their student assistants to help with registration. Our partner S/MWBE
agencies also attended. A Florida Minority Supplier Development
Trade Show booth was given away to a small business. The booth was
donated by the Orlando Utilities Commission’s Supplier Development
Program. Four businesses won Lunch and Learns from Facilities
Planning that will allow them to present their companies to the
university. Several businesses that have found opportunities at UCF
were highlighted along with the ones below that found their
opportunities during our previous Supplier Diversity Day 2007. This
event was also video taped as a resource tool for vendors.
UCF Purchasing, Supplier Diversity Day Video Links
http://engage.ucf.edu:28158/ramgen/ucf/fa/purchasing/2008diversityevent/fullevent.smil (Complete Video)
http://engage.ucf.edu:28158/ramgen/ucf/fa/purchasing/2008diversityevent/hall.rm
http://engage.ucf.edu:28158/ramgen/ucf/fa/purchasing/2008diversityevent/merck.rm
http://engage.ucf.edu:28158/ramgen/ucf/fa/purchasing/2008diversityevent/russell.rm
Supplier Diversity Day May 2007 Success Stories
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
Computer Merchandise Corporation - Installed reception area
furniture and supplied bar code labels
CorpMerchGroup - Supplied promotional products and apparel
to various departments
Elite Movers - Completed a small move
Hooah - Supplied UCF Distributive Learning’s trade show booth
Pak Mail - Packaged a small move
Salsa to Go - Awarded a UCF Stadium concessions contract
SBR and Associates with Subsidiary Premier Service - Cleaned
Academic Villages dormitory rooms
Synergy Global Systems - implemented a document
management system
Williams Cleaners - Quoted and won dormitory bedding job for
2007 and 2008
FY 2008/2009 External Outreach
Based on lessons learned from FY 2007/2008 outreach events, the
University plans to continue its participation in many of the same events
this fiscal year. Most of these events are held by the same S/MWBE
community agencies that help us advertise contract opportunities. The
below outreach activities are on our participation schedule; however,
additional outreach opportunities might be scheduled when applicable.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Florida’s Office of Supplier Diversity Matchmaker Conference and
Trade Fair, 11/2008
National Institute of Government Purchaser’s Reverse Trade Show,
11/2008
University of Florida’s Annual Small Business Conference &
Reverse Trade Show, 3/2009
Hispanic Business Initiative Fund’s Business Opportunity
Sessions, 4/2009
University of South Florida’s Small Business Development
Government Trade Show, 5/2009
FMSDC’s 26th Annual Trade Fair, 8/2009
Black Business Initiative Fund’s Vendor Mixer, TBD
FMSDC’s Central Chapter Meetings, TBD
OSD’s Regional Matchmaker in Tampa, TBD
FY 2008/2009 Internal Outreach
The University views internal outreach opportunities as part of its outreach
strategy.
• UCF to host an FMSDC Central Chapter Construction Meeting,
10/2008
• UCF to host our successful Supplier Diversity Day, 5/2009
o UCF departments, our 1st tier vendors, and current
contractors will be invited to participate
• After trade show potential vendor listings will continue to be made
available to UCF departments for review
5. The programs the University plans to conduct to educate business
owners in the various processes used by the university and the steps
the university plans to take in an attempt to ensure that these programs
reach small businesses, including those owned by minorities and
women.
Most contact we have with diverse vendors is twofold: educational
seminars combined with outreach activities.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
The outreach events participated in, detailed in Question #4, were not just
to seek out those diverse sources interested in doing business with UCF,
but also were excellent opportunities to educate those vendors on how to
do business with UCF.
Supplier Diversity Brochure
We are excited to announce an update to our supplier diversity
brochure. The brochure (samples enclosed) was first introduced during
fiscal year 2007-2008 as a completed goal from fiscal year 2006-2007.
The brochure will serve as a resource manual, educating vendors on
how to do business with UCF. The brochure also comes with a strong
note of support for our supplier diversity program from UCF President
John C. Hitt.
Purchasing/Diversity in Contracts Web site
As mentioned in Question #4, all bids and proposals are advertised on
the Purchasing Department’s Web site as well as the Florida Bid
System Web site which all vendors can access. Again, attending
outreach events and trade shows, web site postings of our bid
opportunities and vendor guidelines, and our partnering with
organizations to disseminate opportunities to their constituents are all
key elements in educating certified S/MWBEs on our programs. These
various forums allow us to communicate our outreach plans and
purchasing process.
Pre-Bid/Pre-Solicitation Conferences
The DCAD also attends the university’s Pre-Bid/Pre-Solicitation
Conferences and discusses the university’s S/WMBE program with
prospective contractors for hard-bid construction projects. For
Construction Manager projects, the DCAD participates as a non-voting
member of the selection committee and provides input on our supplier
diversity program. We assist general contractors and construction
managers by providing education concerning state and local certified
S/MWBEs and by attending initial project and progress meetings, as
well as monitoring monthly payments to subcontractors. We also
provide S/WMBE subcontract sources to the construction community
upon request.
Small Business Development Center *
UCF’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), located in the
Disney/SBA National Entrepreneur Center in Downtown Orlando,
provides business seminars and free one-on-one counseling for small
business owners. The following workshops are part of a September
2008 SBDC business basics seminar series.
Small Business Basics Series
A Certificate of Completion will be awarded to each attendee after
attending this 6-part series. All sessions will be held at the
Disney/SPA National Entrepreneur Center in the Landmark One
building at 315 E. Robinson St., Suite 100, Orlando.
Small Business Basics: How to Start Your Business
This seminar will help business owners learn the essentials for
getting started in business, including: an introduction to business
plans and the importance of preparing one; explore the legal forms
of business (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited
liability corporation) and which one is right for you; and determine
the local, state, or federal licensing requirements for the business.
This session is guaranteed to take the mystery out of starting a
business and help you to be the entrepreneur you always dreamed
about. This seminar is offered from 6-9 p.m.
Small Business Basics: Marketing for Small Business
Overview of the entire marketing process – featuring the Four P’s of
Marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion). Attendees will
receive practical ideas for high impact marketing on a limited
budget.
Small Business Basics: Sources of Financing – Loans &
Venture Capital
Do you need money to start or expand your business? In this
seminar, you will learn about various financing options: bank loans,
SPA guaranteed loan programs, private investment, and venture
capital.
Small Business Basics: Recordkeeping and Taxes for the New
Business
Unless you are an accountant, chances are you have many
questions about how to set-up your accounts, do your record
keeping, and especially how to keep your taxes straight. This
workshop will teach you: understanding your chart of accounts;
federal and state tax requirements; sales tax; and tax decisions
regarding legal forms of business.
Small Business Basics: Writing the Business Plan
Business owners will learn how to write a business plan, how to use
financial documents when preparing a loan proposal, and how to
determine the feasibility of securing a loan. They will also learn how
to apply for a loan and to plan for change. Writing a business plan
is a critical step to success.
Small Business Basics: Sales Basics/Successful Sales
Strategies & Techniques
In today’s business environment, everyone in the company must
“sell,” from the receptionist to the business owner. This seminar
covers the basic principles of sales strategies and techniques,
which are designed to help you increase revenue and profit.
Small Business Basics: Insurance Basics
Insurance must be considered a necessary expense of owning a
business that cannot be postponed. This workshop will tell you how
you can keep your insurance premiums low, how and where you
can locate a good insurance agent, what kinds of insurance you
need, and if you are required to carry certain types of insurance.
*Information provided on the Small Business Basics Series is directly
from the SBDC Web site.
http://www.bus.ucf.edu/sbdc/registration.html
6. A summary addressing the University’s current contracting with small
businesses, including a breakdown of related contracting with minority
businesses.
The University’s contracting with S/MWBEs continues to evolve. We
award purchase orders to S/MWBEs that have terms of anywhere from
one day and up to one year. The reports from our financial system,
PeopleSoft, identify vendors by an ID code and now display vendor names
when capturing expenditure data. These features help with tracking
S/MWBE expenditures. Some vendors and contractors listed below are
worth highlighting.
•
•
•
•
JCB Construction (African American and Woman-Owned
Business)
o $399,156
Baker Barrios, Inc (Hispanic American-Owned Business)
o 39,634
SGM Engineering (Asian American-Owned Business)
o $39,986
Crawford Marketing (Non Minority, Woman-Owned
Business)
o $410,500
A detailed listing and current total expenditures with S/MWBEs via our
most recent activity report, construction subcontractor calculations, and
PeopleSoft reports are provided with this report (Appendix 1). Data for
commodities and contractual services are captured via PeopleSoft, but
most dollars for construction and architects and engineers (A&E) are still
captured manually. For the sake of brevity, only the FY 2007-2008 reports
for total expenditures and commodities are attached as entire fiscal year
samples (Appendix 2).
7. How the University captures and reports subcontractor information.
Subcontractor information is recorded from all contractors awarded major
construction contracts from the University’s Facilities Planning
Department. Each contractor has to submit their S/MWBE subcontractor
report (Appendix 3) as part of their pay application to the Facilities
Planning Accountant assigned to their construction project.
Facilities Planning accountants then send the subcontractor reports as
they receive them from contractors to Purchasing. Contractors do not
necessarily send their pay application, which includes the subcontractor
report, monthly. Purchasing keeps a monthly check list of subcontractor
reports for each university construction project, whether or not contractors
send a monthly bill.
OSD receives the final subcontractor report yearly as part of our S/MWBE
utilization report.
8. List any new initiatives or internal procedures by the University that
enhances minority-owned and woman-owned business enterprises.
NEW INITIATIVES
These planned initiatives will further assist us in our ability to support
businesses that are S/MWBEs.
Online Vendor Database
In last year’s plan, we highlighted the development of an online
vendor database that has been approved. However, because of
recent budget constraints, this plan remains on hold. It is still hoped
that the schedule, team, and design needs of the database will
soon be in place, providing a direct link to capturing current and
potential vendor information as well as tying vendor information
directly to expenditures. The database will:
•
•
•
•
•
Feature an automated vendor profile
Trigger automated reminders of expired S/MWBE
certifications
Offer multiple business categories and certification
selections
Provide a menu of services and list the vendors that
provide them
Grant accessibility to all UCF employees
The benefits of an online database will increase the accuracy of the
vendor data collected from all vendors and remind vendors when to
update their vendor information and/or S/MWBE certification. An
online database lowers the possibility that S/MWBE vendors will be
lost in the process if their S/MWBE status is not entered into our
PeopleSoft financial system. This allows for a more effective
system for capturing the S/MWBEs data we record so that we know
how to target our outreach efforts more efficiently. Another benefit
is that departments on campus will have an opportunity to view
current and potential S/MWBEs and to search for these businesses
by what services they offer.
State University System of Florida Outreach Team
The University of Central Florida (UCF) and the University of
Florida (UF) combined forces in October 2007 to co-exhibit at the
National Supplier Development Council’s Annual Conference
(NMSDC). The event was held in Miami, Florida. Exhibiting at the
NMSDC Trade Show, the largest gathering of minority businesses
showed to a national audience that Florida’s universities strongly
encourage the use of S/MWBEs.
All Florida universities were given the opportunity to participate in
our plans; however, after the state budget cuts were announced,
the level of participation dropped from six universities to only UCF
and UF. Permission was granted from the Board of Governors to
use its name during booth registration.
The UCF and UF co-exhibiting also achieved cost savings for both
universities, and the partnership continued during November’s
Office of Supplier Diversity Matchmaker. Our next co-exhibiting
partnership is scheduled for the 25th Annual Florida Minority
Supplier Development Council. This is an example of our strategic
alliances and how supplier diversity outreach can continue to
flourish in tough economic times.
Small Business or Minority-owned and Woman-owned
Business Queries Analysis and Verification
Currently, the PeopleSoft queries that give us our S/MWBE
expenditure reports are being analyzed for areas of improvement.
There is also a plan to verify the validity of all vendors designated in
our system as an S/MWBE.
INTERNAL OUTREACH PROCEDURES
In addition to having our buyers’ involvement when including
S/MWBEs into the vendor review process, initiatives have been
launched to further embed this practice into the overall process of
doing business at UCF.
Internal Communications
In our FY 2006/2007 plan, we presented an internal outreach
initiative, endorsed by Vice President of Administration and Finance
Mr. William Merck, which launched a campus outreach project. The
project solicited a member of each department to become an
advocate for including diversity in the review process for purchasing
and construction opportunities. A reminder liaison recruitment
memo was sent from Purchasing Director Ray Puskas and the
initial outreach won 33 department liaisons. There are now over 60
liaisons listed. The Diversity in Contract Liaisons will play a major
step in helping to implement our S/MWBE plan.
The liaisons will provide our assistant director with a direct link to
opportunities in each department, the potential to receive early
purchasing leads to pass onto potential vendors, and assistance in
educating departments on including certified S/MWBEs in
purchasing opportunity reviews. All liaisons are also welcome to
attend trade shows where they have direct access to potential
vendors. The Diversity in Contracts program encourages the
involvement of more departments in our liaison project with a focus
on those departments that make the most purchases.
Communications with the Diversity in Contract Liaisons has evolved
into quarterly Diversity in Contracts Newsletters. Success stories
that liaisons have made with small and diverse vendors in this
newsletter have led to business referrals. The newsletter serves as
a way to highlight the achievements of the liaisons’ participation at
internal outreach events and their inclusion of diverse vendors in
the purchasing review process. Our supplier diversity brochure is
another resource guide that helps both departments and potential
vendors.
Another step UCF is taking to implement our plan internally is
maintaining our Supplier Diversity Web site. Our Purchasing Web
site was expanded to include new content and resource pages for
our supplier diversity section. The new web pages continue to
serve as an educational source for the community as well as on
campus. A potential S/MWBE spotlight web page is also planned to
further the internal educational awareness of qualified and quality
businesses. The UCF Web page is accessible to the entire world
making our outreach effort a global one.
Additional steps to communicate our Diversity in Contracts plan
internally include a Diversity in Contracts Facts Sheet that is
distributed to each department via each department’s liaison as
well as at various campus events. Instead of last year’s planned
Diversity in Contracts Liaison Awards Dinner, another Supplier
Diversity Day was held. The success of that event has already
been mentioned. Each participating department received a
certificate of appreciation in recognition of their efforts. These
initiatives provide opportunities on how our program is run as well
as how to incorporate the plan in their daily activities. Of course, the
most important steps are maintaining the excitement that surrounds
our new supplier diversity initiatives and remaining flexible to
unplanned outreach events that will unfold out of need.