Learn more about supplier diversity

Procurement Operations guides and supports Northeastern’s ongoing efforts to promote and push for diversity and inclusion within its community by showcasing and creating business opportunities for minority owned businesses.  This is a shared responsibility of Northeastern University employees and Procurement Operations to increase awareness of minority vendors and partners.  We work to create opportunities for MBE (Minority Owned), DBE (Diverse Ownership), VBE (Veteran Owned), WBE (Woman Owned), and small (SBE/SLBE) local businesses near our campus in the Roxbury neighborhood through sales and service contracts. We are also an active and original member of Boston’s Pacesetters group.

“We have an opportunity to emphasize, deepen, and enlarge our ongoing efforts to be actively engaged in Boston and in communities surrounding all our campuses. Whether it be educational programs for local youth or strengthening ties with minority-owned businesses, we can and must do more.”

President Joseph E. Aoun – 06/15/2020

The goal of Northeastern’s supplier diversity program is to provide support to the university community in identifying and securing partnerships with small and minority-owned businesses and to assure compliance with applicable Federal & Senate SBC Guidance. We also regularly try to meet if not exceed the Inspector General’s and Attorney General’s suggested guidance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on procurement as reflected in M.G.L. 30B, M.G.L. 149, and MGL 30 39M and required by the Supplier Diversity Office for public agencies.

Departments should arrange for purchases in a manner that encourages participation from minority-owned business.  Procurement Operations is available to support you in this effort, as well as incorporating diverse suppliers within existing supplier contracts. Procurement Operations is also available to assist with bids or quotes referencing any diverse supplier requirements, as well as suggestions for additional suppliers that may have not been looked at in the past.

Annual Tier 1 Direct Spend by Procurement Operations: $15.3 million.

Annual Tier 1 and 2 Spend via Facilities and Construction: $75 million (WBE/MBE: $40.2 million, SLBE: 34.8 million).

Minority-owned businesses wishing to become a preferred supplier at Northeastern University can contact Victoria Rios, vi.rios@northeastern.edu and Stefany Mendez, s.mendez@northeastern.edu in Procurement for guidance.

Current and potential vendors please review Northeastern’s inclusive language guidance.