When the Kentucky Community Technical College System (KCTCS) sought to increase the number of diverse suppliers it solicits and engages statewide, it looked to National Diversity Solutions (NDS). NDS is a strategic sourcing firm with headquarters in Lexington and offices in Cincinnati and Indianapolis. NDS helps organizations reduce their expenses while ensuring competitive participation from qualified diverse businesses. NDS is a minority business enterprise itself and responded to a request for proposal to enhance KCTCS’ supplier diversity efforts.
KCTCS’s 2010-2016 strategic plan included efforts to “reflect the diversity of the students and employees of [its] 16 colleges and the citizens of the commonwealth of Kentucky.” Last year, KCTCS, with the help of NDS, launched its Supplier Diversity Initiative to ensure it attains those goals when dealing with vendors and suppliers across its 68 campuses throughout the state.
A recent NDS summary of first-year results achieved for KCTCS’ initiative shows growth in the organization’s “impactable spend” with diverse suppliers in the commonwealth by 9.7 percent over the previous year. According to D. Mitchell, CEO of NDS, the “impactable spend” excludes purchasing card data and infrastructure expenses and refers, instead, to discretionary expenses.
KCTCS is impressed with the results.
“Through their efforts, NDS has helped us increase the number of diverse suppliers that we utilize at the system level by 30.9 percent from where we were this time last year,” said Wendell Followell, system director of business services for KCTCS. “This includes growing the number of diverse suppliers we use for such categories as office supplies, technology and educational expenses, among others.”
A key component of the initiative involves a centralized web-based diverse supplier collaboration portal administered by NDS to register current and potential diverse businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans or disabled individuals who want to offer their products and services to KCTCS.
After they are approved, registered suppliers receive communications and invitations through the portal to learn more about KCTCS and opportunities targeted to their specific goods and services. Suppliers that match the job’s needs are invited to bid on the job through a competitive RFP/RFQ process.
“The key is opportunity,” said Michael B. McCall, president and CEO of KCTCS. “We want to provide diverse business owners throughout the state with the opportunity to easily learn about, and compete for, the goods and services that are needed within the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.”
To attract diverse suppliers, NDS facilitates community outreach events across the state to promote the program and raise awareness about business opportunities at KCTCS. Last year, more than 300 diverse suppliers and college faculty, staff and employees attended these events.
The portal has also been well received by diverse suppliers who were already doing business with KCTCS. Teresa Zajkowski owns Magic Carpet Flooring in Lexington. Zajkowski was encouraged to join the initiative and use the portal by her contacts on prior KCTCS jobs. She said that the portal has allowed her to provide more information in a centralized location for a wider viewing audience of decision-makers within the college system. Since she registered, she has been informed about many more flooring jobs than before and has participated in the competitive bidding process.
As a female business owner, Zajkowski has also appreciated the KCTCS initiative in a male-dominated construction industry. Unlike some other organizations she has experienced in the past, “KCTCS doesn’t hold the fact that I’m not a man against me,” she said. The program gives her the same opportunities for jobs as her male counterparts.
NDS has assisted KCTCS in distributing more than 40 bids to more than 700 diverse suppliers across the commonwealth since the initiative began. Many of KCTCS’ colleges have seen increased savings, improved services and a growth in their spending with diverse suppliers.
Followell has noticed that the enhanced marketing of the college system and educational opportunities provided by the initiative’s efforts to reach out to more diverse businesses is an added bonus for KCTCS. He noted that when business owners that reflect the diversity of the student population visit a campus or become aware of KCTCS for the first time, they may take advantage of courses themselves or tell others about what KCTCS has to offer.
“With the assistance of NDS, the KCTCS Supplier Diversity Initiative is an ideal way for us to express our support for the diverse businesses in our community, demonstrate best-in-class supplier diversity for educational institutions in Kentucky and allow these businesses to learn more about what our colleges have to offer,” said McCall.
Diverse suppliers interested in doing business with KCTCS can visit supplier diversity.kctcs.edu to learn more and to register.