Change is Around the Corner. Eliminate the Uncertainty and Ensure DBE Regulation Compliance with B2Gnow.

Business Diversity Compliance Software for DBE/ACDBE Programs

Following the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) DBE Rule Changes announced in April 2024, we have been actively updating the B2Gnow system to ensure our customers remain up-to-date and compliant. However, our commitment to responsiveness extends well beyond these required compliance updates. We continually evaluate and implement enhancements to our system to better serve our customers.

Complete the form to access our informative download and learn more about how B2Gnow ensures compliance with U.S. DOT DBE regulation updates.

On-Demand Webinar: Streamline Your HUB Subcontracting Plan Process

Texas public agencies get a sneak peek at our NEW HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) module capabilities that help you streamline the initiation, collaboration, and validation of HUB Utilization Plans, ensuring compliance with the Texas Administrative Code (TAC). 

On-Demand Webinar: 2024 DBE/ACDBE Rule Update: Navigating the Latest Changes

Equip Your Organization for the Changes to the DBE/ACDBE Program
Supplier Diversity Case Study

Texas Facilities Commission Enhances HUB with B2Gnow

Texas Facilities Commission Leverages B2Gnow Supplier Diversity Software to Streamline the HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) Process

View the case study and receive an overview of  the Texas Facilities Commission’s (TFC’s) commitment to creating greater efficiency and their instrumental role in the development of the B2Gnow HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) module, designed to manage, track, and report on its HUB program compliance.

Download to learn more about these important benefits reported by the HUB team:

  • Saves Time – Reduces administrative time spent by 50%
  • Instills Confidence – Ensures HUB compliance with each HSP
  • Improves Communication – Simplifies secure communication and document sharing
  • Ensures Accuracy – Data collection is accurate and easy to reconcile
VIEW THE CASE STUDY
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How to Improve Your Business Inclusion Program in 2025

B2Gnow

From spurring local job growth to creating sustainable supply chains, today’s business diversity and business inclusion program managers are well-versed in the magnitude and impact of equitable contracting on DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise), M/W/V/SBE and local businesses within communities across the US.

However, following the recent U.S. Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) Affirmative Action ruling, business diversity and business inclusion programs are under increased scrutiny. Moreover, with the upcoming USDOT changes to the DBE and ACDBE programs, many program managers wonder how their programs will internally support these proposed requirements. Do they have the right supplier diversity and procurement management software in place? Can their staff manage the proposed required process changes?

In 2024, efficiency, adaptability, and impact are the name of the game. Developing and managing a D/M/W/V/SBE or local business inclusion program comes with challenges like limited supplier options, regulatory complexities, formulation and implementation of small, diverse, or local business objectives, obtaining organizational buy-in, and effective expenditure tracking. Achieving success requires actively supporting D/M/W/V/SBE and local suppliers, enhancing outreach strategies, utilizing comprehensive procurement management software, and instilling a firm commitment to diversity and inclusion among stakeholders within your organization. These measures are essential for promoting diversity, backing underrepresented businesses, fostering fair economic growth, and guaranteeing clear and transparent reporting.

As business diversity and inclusion teams across the US look to the new year to address these challenges head-on, they’re more often than not troubled with multiple systems and manual processes to fulfill their objectives and monitor these significant goals; they’re often finding their limited staff resources stuck in repetitive tasks and buried under paperwork. Moreover, they’ve become increasingly aware of the potential projects they could undertake, if not for spending hours manually tracking information – whether it involves vendor outreach, contract bidding, subcontractor payments, certification applications, or renewals. The never-ending effort to create and submit required reports, respond to staff inquiries, find the right certified firms, direct vendors to proper resources, and allay stakeholder concerns about data accuracy can feel like quicksand to your program’s objectives.

Leading state, local, education, transportation, healthcare, general contractors, and more are finding a better way to tackle efficiency, adaptability, and impact into 2024 and beyond. These organizations rely on B2Gnow Business Diversity Software to seamlessly manage, track, and report on their business diversity and inclusion programs. The B2Gnow system is not only a comprehensive procurement management software system that helps business diversity programs easily manage the bidding process from end to end, but it also facilitates the creation of utilization plans, outreach efforts, contract compliance, and more. Here are just a few of the reasons organizations choose B2Gnow:

The single largest searchable system of business diversity certifications in the U.S. – Over 120 certification agencies use the B2Gnow system to certify and track supplier diversity certifications (DBE, ACDBE, MBE, WBE, SDVBE, VBE, SBE, etc.) – this certification data is native and real-time in the B2Gnow system. Plus, B2Gnow imports over 100 other third-party directories into our system.

Unparalleled spend and utilization tracking – Through different types of spend and utilization tracking modules in the B2Gnow system, organizations can choose to track spend from tier 1 vendors (spend analysis) to tier 10 (tracking through all levels of subcontractors on a project).

End-to-end bid management – Facilitating cost-effective online bid submission, tabulation, and optional public portal publication, this integrated bid solicitation and end-to-end procurement management software solution streamlines the process. It features dynamic document requirements with amendment acknowledgment, tracks Good Faith Effort (GFE), and seamlessly connects to Utilization Planning and Contract Management modules for comprehensive diversity management. Derived from detailed input and feedback from various organizations nationwide and across industries, the module’s capabilities are designed to efficiently handle the substantial communication challenges in every solicitation. This includes tasks such as identifying and sourcing suitable firms, responding to bidder questions, and managing other administrative actions.

Powerful vendor outreach capabilities – Search, sort, group, and export vendors by various parameters such as certification type, certifying agency, race, gender, and work codes (i.e., NAICS, NOGP, etc.). Better yet, many organizations simply utilize the B2Gnow outreach engine to set up and manage communication campaigns and events to encourage wider participation.

Multiple options for output of results, reports, data, and data visualization– Choose from over 400 standard system reports, PowerBI access, and data libraries (license included), export options, and API/web services. B2Gnow allows organizations to report and visualize their business diversity and utilization data in the formats that best suit stakeholder needs.

Guaranteed compliance now and in the future – Manage complex small/diverse spend tracking compliance and regulatory requirements, including compliance with USDOT, 49 CFR Part 23, and CFR Part 26.

Some of B2Gnow’s most popular modules include:

Baseline Vendor Management – The core B2Gnow system module required for all systems: users/vendors, vendor search, reports, settings, support, connectivity, etc.

Contract Compliance – Manage the financial aspects of your program, including monitoring actual participation versus contract goals and capturing down to tier 10 awards and utilization. Manage and track prompt payment requirements, performance against goals, and CUF reviews.

Online Vendor Registration – Streamline vendor registration while empowering vendors to easily submit required information and documentation electronically. From bidder registration to EEO plans and affirmative action plans, questionnaires are configured specifically to meet each organization’s needs and can accommodate various formats and question types. The module features an automated renewal process for registered firms and allows vendors to submit profile changes anytime for ongoing accuracy.

Outreach & Events – Create “campaigns” to email blast crafted messages to a customized list of any type of vendors (certified, primes, sub, local, etc.). The module also facilitates event management and tracking.

Online Application – Allows vendors to submit certification applications online. The forms eliminate paper/email submissions and give organizations an option to eliminate hardcopy documentation completely. This efficiency reduces review time and ensures that only complete applications are received.

Certification Management – Supports your organization’s review of certification applications, including workflow and review checklists that are configured to support your process. The module helps programs increase standardization and improve the quality of certification application review. Manages expiries and renewals.

Streamline your business inclusion program and procurement processes with B2Gnow, trusted by 400+ customers strong and growing, including 30+ state DOTs, 90+ airports and transits, 100+ cities and counties, and 100+ education, healthcare, general contractors, utilities, and more. We’re standing by, ready to get you onboarded procurement management software that will also help keep you in compliance, empowering your organization to seamlessly automate, manage, track, and report on the requirements of your DBE/ACDBE, small, diverse, or local program. Contact us to speak with an expert and learn more about B2Gnow Business Diversity Software.

Agency Certification: 5 Ways to Improve the Process & Increase Opportunities

B2Gnow

From spurring local job growth to building environmentally-friendly supply chains, as a certifying agency, you’re well-versed in the magnitude and impact of inclusive procurement on small, diverse, and women-owned businesses and communities across the US. 

However, your program might be plagued with common challenges often seen across many certifying agencies. These include too many manual processes resulting in piles of paper, never-ending directory updates, and hours spent collecting and verifying information or explaining next steps with vendors. Add a tedious reporting process and concerns about data security to the list, and you’ve got your work cut out! 

This latest article outlines five things today’s leading certifiers do to reclaim their time, optimize resources, and provide a seamless certification experience, increasing opportunities for small and diverse firms to win business.

#1 – Go Digital – Ditch paper processes for good!

Between the collection of applications and all supporting documents, your office is busting at the seams with paper:

  • • Paper takes up excessive space, is costly to store, and locating and keeping track of essential documents sometimes seems impossible.
  • • Paper documents are easily misfiled, leading to a tedious, all-day game of hide-and-seek for your staff while your vendor patiently waits for approval. (The same vendor who may have mailed or even hand-delivered these documents some time ago. This could be a long process!) 
  • • Additionally, paper records are easily compromised. Much of the information you collect from your vendors is confidential. Unauthorized individuals can access these documents if left on tables, filing cabinets, or unlocked storage areas. Issues can also arise during printing. Sensitive information should only be available to those authorized to view it.

The most efficient certifying organizations have realized that shuffling paper is time-consuming and could put them on the wrong side of a security breach. As a result, they are moving their application and approval processes online, reducing staff review time and ensuring only complete applications are received. 

The digital process also reduces the vendor’s time, effort, and expense (and possibly, frustration!) required to apply for certification and maintain active status by allowing easy application completion and online document upload. Completing this streamlined process means more opportunities for these newly certified vendors to win business! Furthermore, a digital approval process could allow authorized staff to create and edit certification records, evaluate approval checklists/audits and documentation, manage certification application dispositions, and publish directory entries, all in a secure environment free from mountains of paperwork! 

#2 – Offer an Online Portal – Delight vendors with one-stop convenience

When it comes to small and diverse businesses, time is money. Your goal as a certifying organization is to help them advance and grow in the community, but you may be asking yourself:

  • • Is our agency’s certification process reflective of this effort? 
  • • Can vendors and prime contractors easily access certification applications, renewal forms, information about upcoming opportunities, and a searchable vendor directory?
  • • Do we have a simple process to ensure that vendor data in our directory is accurate and kept up to date? 

If the answer is no, your vendor experience could be lacking. Additionally, certification processes can be arduous and detailed. An antiquated process could be equally difficult for your staff. There aren’t enough hours in the day for follow-up or repeatedly answering the same questions. Additionally, outdated vendor data (email addresses, phone numbers, LinkedIn pages) can stifle opportunities for certified firms in your directory. For these reasons, you want to ensure your vendors’ experience and interactions with your agency are simple, streamlined, and consistent.

More and more certifying agencies recognize their vendors need a streamlined process and are choosing certification management software that includes vendor portal access. Designed to look like the agency’s website, a vendor portal offers vendors a one-stop shop for all their needs. B2Gnow Supplier Diversity Management software, for example, enables certifying organizations to direct vendors to their portal to not only apply for certification, monitor their application status, and apply for renewals but also to manage current directory information and all communications throughout the process. Imagine the staff hours saved with an online system that streamlines the certification application process and reduces the number of phone calls and emails with vendors, with documentation built in! 

In addition to certification management, the vendor portal enables firms to keep their profiles updated (automated reminder emails can encourage this). It also allows primes, subs, or anyone to access the organization’s certification directory and other approved certified directories to search for vendors by name, zip code, work code, and more. This level of access saves time and frustration for vendors, and offers greater visibility for certified firms. 

#3 Automate, Automate, Automate – Easy approvals and auto-renewals are key

All too often, certification agency staff find themselves struggling with common but severe process pitfalls: 

  • • There are not enough hours in the day to keep up with reviewing applications and approving certifications for new vendors. 
  • • Antiquated processes involving too many steps and using multiple systems have them running in circles. 
  • • Besides the efforts necessary to take good care of these new vendors is the additional ever-looming stress of managing the active firms, including notifying firms of the need to renew, as well as, reviewing expansion and change requests and certification renewals. 

The country’s most successful certifying organizations empower their teams with automation! They’ve found that by implementing a certification management system like B2Gnow, their staff significantly reduced the time spent doing tedious administrative tasks. Besides the conveniences of a public portal and online communication with vendors, dashboards make monitoring the application and certification processes simple. And approval is as easy as the click of a button. In addition, an automated renewal process means less worry about currently certified vendors falling through the cracks. 

#4 – Proactively Grow Your Directory – Find more vendors and encourage program participation

Managing a certification program is no small undertaking, and after all the effort and time spent maintaining your directory, you still seem to fall short on potential suppliers to meet your goals. Questions that keep you up at night include:

  • • Do you have enough certified vendors for every necessary work code? 
  • • How can we reach more potential vendors to grow our directory? 

The answer is, with the most extensive vendor database, such as B2Gnow’s database of over 1.5 million vendors (approximately 600,000 of them certified), offers an easy way to extend your reach and inform businesses in your community about your program! Search multiple parameters, including zip code, work codes, and more, and easily craft a message using the Outreach and Events module. It allows users to create “campaigns” to send email messages to a customized list of vendors and monitor the interaction. With nearly 200 certifying organizations already using B2Gnow, it’s a simple process to target firms operating in your market that are certified by others but not certified within your program. Besides certification program outreach, many organizations use the system to notify vendors about upcoming opportunities. The module also facilitates event management for online attendee registration, RSVP, and attendance tracking.

#5 – Produce More Accurate Reports With Less Effort – Generate detailed, automated reports in seconds

Your agency’s certification program is only as good as the reports you can provide. Unfortunately, for busy program directors, finding time to assemble these reports for stakeholders can mean long hours of cutting and pasting data from multiple spreadsheets, plenty of calculating and recalculating, and perhaps a bit of nail-biting over lost hours and accuracy concerns. 

Top certification agency professionals rely on certification management systems for greater accuracy, efficiency, and overall program visibility for aggregate reporting. An all-in-one-certification management system, like B2Gnow, offers a robust reporting library and enables certifying agencies to easily report on everything from applications received and certification status to certification officer assignments and processing time statistics. Additionally, a best-in-class certification management system allows for the analysis and reporting of certified vendor data with a click of a button to track firms by ethnicity, gender, location, work code, and more. Furthermore, it easily creates visually appealing reports and dashboards to better demonstrate their program’s success. 

No matter the size of your team, the availability of resources, or other challenges with automating, streamlining, or reporting on our program,  today’s leading certifiers are finding a better, more efficient way to manage their certification process and provide a seamless certification experience that increases opportunities for small and diverse firms to win business. More than 150 certifying organizations rely on B2Gnow Supplier Diversity and Certification Management Software to manage their programs’ complex needs. From certification management and diverse vendor search access to the largest certified supplier database in the world, to data enhancement tools that qualify and quantify current supplier data, to spend analysis capabilities that go deeper to understand diverse supplier data, to construction contract compliance that easily track and report supplier diversity on capital construction contracts, B2Gnow allows supplier diversity professionals to focus on meeting diversity goals, not chasing paper. Learn more and take a tour of B2Gnow Supplier Diversity Software.

7 Signs Your DBE Program Is “Leaking” Efficiency

B2Gnow

Perhaps you’ve noticed that some of your DBE Program’s current processes just aren’t as efficient as you’d like. You’ve periodically considered that improvements could be made to positively impact your DBE program (and likely make your typical workday a lot easier).  After all, you have important community and diversity goals to meet and are simply tired of chasing paper.  Moreover, you’re becoming keenly aware of the projects you could accomplish if you weren’t spending hours manually tracking information which, depending on your organization and responsibilities, could range from subcontractor payments to certification applications and renewals. Working until the eleventh hour to create and submit critical reports, doing multiple follow up with suppliers, and spending far too much time running in circles with multi-system chaos, questioning the accuracy of your data has become the norm.

 Common Inefficiencies Holding Back Your DBE Program’s Performance

You’re struggling with multitier tracking and reporting.

Without the proper tools in place, your visibility could be shallow. For example, your program might be successfully tracking and reporting on Tier 1 or prime DBE suppliers; however, you know you’re missing out on the opportunity to accurately report on your entire DBE utilization, as your subs may also be subcontracting with DBE businesses. The problem is effectively tracking and reporting on those deeper tiers, whether manually or through a multitude of different systems, seems impossible.

You have critical, timely reports you need to produce.

The ever-looming Uniform Report is your bi-annual nemesis! There doesn’t seem to be any simple way to get through it, and with NPRM proposed rule changes on the horizon, an accurate, timely submission will not get any easier. Besides the Uniform Report, depending on your industry and program goals, there are likely specific compliance goals, internal requirements, or mandated reports that you need to produce.  To generate these reports, you need a consistent and efficient way to collect and accurately report on this data.  As your program grows, and if your processes are manual, the “old way”  won’t cut it in the long term – especially considering those inevitable NPRM changes.

 If your organization is a certifying agency, you spend countless hours collecting and verifying vendor information while also needing more time to encourage others to apply.

Managing a certification process is a big undertaking because of the detailed information and verification required and because it involves collecting confidential documents. Many certification agencies struggle with antiquated processes involving too many steps and a questionable document collection process, often leaving vendors confused and frustrated as they initially apply for certification and, again, at the time of renewal. Additionally, after all that effort and time spent managing your directory, you still fall short on potential suppliers to fit your needs. As a result, you often think to yourself how nice it would be to have a “one-stop-shop” where vendors could easily apply for certification and renewal online and where your team could manage the entire certification process seamlessly, including outreach efforts to grow your directory!

 You want your weekends back.

If you’re sacrificing your weekends to manually sift through the data, sending late-night emails, living in Excel sheets, and bouncing through a myriad of different tools to keep your DBE program flourishing, chances are you might benefit from process automation.

 You’re not confident in your data.

Suppose you’re leveraging manual processes toggling between several different systems or spreadsheets, or you’re relying on a directory that isn’t exactly reliable. In that case, there is a high probability of more data errors than you’d like to admit. The problem is you know you will have difficulty meeting your DBE goals if you’re questioning data integrity. Furthermore, you fundamentally understand that accurate data on diverse suppliers and spend can be the cornerstone of your program’s success, achieving compliance, improving the economy, and supporting the community.

 You’re tired of the multi-system chaos.

You have the process of toggling between software systems and spending time fixing the data field nuances down pat.  But, generating a simple report, cross-referencing data, or importing or formatting specific figures from one system to the next takes a lot of work. So, you’ve often thought about how nice it would be and how much time and effort you would save to have all the features, functionality, and data you need in one system.

You want a better way to track payments.

Accurately tracking payments and reporting on diverse spend is crucial for meeting DBE program objectives. However, manually tracking and painstakingly managing the reporting framework and guidelines breeds errors and inconsistencies and must be more scalable. Leading agencies, organizations, and businesses understand that efficiently tracking payments in a streamlined and automated manner is pivotal to achieving diversity goals and growing supplier diversity programs.

If these 7 signs that your DBE program is “leaking” efficiency sound familiar, know that you’re not alone. 

Budget constraints, small teams, challenging change management situations, and more are just a few of the reasons DBE program managers find themselves stuck with a potentially inefficient program. On the contrary, a growing number of DBE program managers and organizations are facing these obstacles square in the eye and actively seeking better, more effective ways to manage and grow their DBE programs. Whether the desire to seek a better way is driven by mandated compliance requirements by federal, state, municipalities, school districts and more, or supplier diversity program initiatives with goals focused on supporting the community, committing to high ethical standard, or encouraging innovation, these organizations are turning to automation and the powerful capabilities of supplier diversity and DBE compliance software programs like B2Gnow. For more information on how your organization can take advantage of automated data gathering, tracking reporting, vendor management, and administrative processes, we encourage you to reach out and schedule a time to speak with a B2Gnow expert. 

Tampa Airport Streamlines Supplier Diversity Software

B2Gnow

Tampa International Airport is consistently ranked among the world’s most beloved airports, serving more than 21 million annual passengers with routes to 90 nonstop destinations around the world. The Airport has received top awards at the state, national and international levels, including being ranked #1 in North America and fifth in the world in customer satisfaction among airports of its size. 

Tampa International Airport’s (TPA) award-winning Business Diversity Department keeps its focus on connecting businesses serving the airport. The Business Diversity Department maintains a DBE program to ensure nondiscrimination in the award of USDOT-assisted contracts and to create a level playing field on which DBEs can compete for those contracts. In addition, the Authority’s Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (ACDBE) ensures that ACDBEs have equal opportunities to receive and participate in concession-related contracts. Lastly, the Woman and Minority-Owned Business Enterprise Program (W/MBE), created by the Aviation Authority, provides for Woman and Minority-Owned Businesses to have full and fair opportunities to compete for and participate in the performance of non-federally funded contracts or in the purchase of goods and services.

Effectively managing these federal DBE and ACDBE programs was no easy task for TPA and the Business Diversity Team. 

Download the case study to learn more about the Authority’s initiative to go paperless, and the TPA and the Business Diversity Team’s journey to an electronic solution that would simplify, standardize, and streamline TPA’s current program management and processes through an automated and secure online system.

 

ACDBE and DBE Compliance Made Simple.

Let us take you on a tour of  B2Gnow Supplier Diversity Management Software – a robust, cost-effective solution that streamlines and automates data-gathering, tracking, reporting, vendor management, and administrative processes, resulting in a significant reduction in staff time and cost – allowing you to focus on meeting diversity goals, not on chasing paper.  We’re proud to be trusted by more airports of all sizes across the country than any other software provider to enable compliance with both 49 CFR Part 23 (ACDBE) and 49 CFR Part 26 (DBE).  Learn more about B2Gnow and request a demo.

Supplier Diversity Best Practices

B2Gnow

Supplier Diversity Strategy for Higher Education Programs

Diversity in higher education is more than just students and staff.  There is a third piece to the diversity and inclusion puzzle that is equally important for colleges and universities: supplier diversity. 

Supplier diversity is a program which encourages the use of traditionally underrepresented or underserved groups as suppliers, such as small-business enterprises (SBEs), minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs), woman-owned business enterprises (WBEs) and more, and as many universities and colleges across the US have learned, there are numerous benefits to implementing and prioritizing a supplier diversity strategy.  

However, the tricky part these days lies in prioritizing supplier diversity while still grappling with the effects of the global pandemic. For example, many higher education institutions have turned their focus to financial issues, enrollment rates, budget cuts, reopening campuses, and more. Among all of the competing priorities, how can supplier diversity program managers at colleges and universities help to keep supplier diversity initiatives top of mind for the institution and its leadership?

 4 Tips for Prioritizing Supplier Diversity in Higher Education

We’ve compiled 4 tips that supplier diversity professionals can execute now to better support prioritizing supplier diversity in higher education:

1. Focus on the economic impact:

Colleges and universities across the US have incredible buying power and spend millions of dollars each year. By implementing a supplier diversity strategy it dramatically increases the number of potential suppliers and promotes competition, which can improve product quality and drive down costs. After all, more sourcing options equate to a more resilient and agile supply chain. Prioritizing a supplier diversity strategy supports growth and jobs, and the ripple effect of that on the local communities that universities and colleges operate in can be profound. 

2. Get buy-in from senior leaders:

In order for any supplier diversity program to be successful it’s not enough to have the buy-in from only a select few in the university.  It’s critical to have backing from senior leaders across the institution, such as: presidents, chancellors, and system governing boards. Oftentimes what is helpful in this approach is breaking-down the big picture and focusing on what each department or role may view as highly important, such as: emphasizing the economic benefits, impacts to the university’s bottom line, reduction in supply chain risk, supporting compliance, and improving reputation.  

3. Equip staff and spread the word:

Outside of your department, employees may not be up-to-speed on the university’s supplier diversity program.  Don’t be shy when it comes to sharing your goals and purpose in internal marketing programs to help spread the word – for instance communicating information about the program within your organization’s intranet, newsletter or other internal channels. Outside of your organization, participate in local supplier diversity councils, conferences, networking events and other outreach opportunities. Clearly promote opportunities on how to execute business with your college or university.  Reach out to other supplier diversity professionals to network and share insights and best practices. Celebrate your wins and promote what you are doing by applying for awards related to working with diverse suppliers, put out press releases and share your wins on social media. 

4. Get the right tools in place:

Without a way to effectively streamline and automate data gathering, tracking, reporting, vendor management and administrative processes, your supplier diversity program can only go so far.  If you’re ready to prioritize supplier diversity and take your program to the next level, it’s time to say goodbye to manually tracking diverse suppliers and certifications, dealing with questionable data accuracy and multi-system chaos, having limited or no visibility into multi-tier diverse spend, or working until the eleventh hour to create and submit critical reports. Higher education institutions like University of Houston, Eastern Washington University, University of Texas System, University of Chicago and hundreds of others, are turning to the powerful capabilities of supplier diversity management software, like B2Gnow, to support their diversity goals.  From diverse vendor search access to the largest certified supplier database in the world, to data enhancement tools that qualify and quantify current supplier data, to spend analysis capabilities that go deeper to understand diverse supplier data, to construction contract compliance that easily track and report supplier diversity on capital construction contracts, B2Gnow allows supplier diversity professionals to focus on meeting diversity goals, not chasing paper. Learn more about B2Gnow and request a demo. 

The Importance of Data in Growing Your Supplier Diversity Program

B2Gnow

If you’re exploring the benefits of  increasing your annual spend with diverse suppliers, where do you start? 

One word: Data. 

Data, and how good that data is, is arguably one of the key pillars of a successful supplier diversity program. If your data is inaccurate or messy everything will suffer. 

You likely miss your diversity goals, account for diverse spend that shouldn’t be, miss a chance to showcase additional diverse spend your organization has influenced. You’ll also waste your time and resources, miss an opportunity to demonstrate value and economic impact to your community, as well as deal with potential repercussions for federal funding repayment, and the list goes on…and on. 

The good news is that there are tools and approaches that organizations can adopt to improve the integrity of their data, how they view and report on that data, and ultimately positively influence the success of their supplier diversity program and the communities they serve:

Move to Digital 

If you’re sacrificing hours upon hours of manually sifting through the data, living in spreadsheets or toggling between several different tools or directories, chances are there are more than a few data errors that you’d feel comfortable to admit. If this sounds familiar, it may be a sign it’s time to go digital and leverage the power of a supplier diversity software system that automates many of these tedious, manual processes. A robust supplier diversity software system, like B2Gnow, automates and streamlines time-consuming data processes with a click-of-a-button.  In turn drastically increasing data accuracy as well as reducing time and effort necessary to successfully manage a diversity program. Oftentimes the result is that organizations are saving 60%-80% of time spent on administrative and clerical activities, while at the same time enhancing impact and reach.

Invest in Data Match and Enrichment

How confident are you that you have the latest, most accurate information on your suppliers? Could it be out of date?  Who is even verifying the information is correct? Bottom line is, if your supplier data is not accurate, your small and diverse business spend is probably flat-out wrong. Many leading organizations have seen the writing on the wall when it comes to the importance of the latest, most accurate supplier data and have turned to supplier diversity software systems for their comprehensive and trusted data scrub and data enrichment services.  B2Gnow supplier diversity management software hosts the largest certified diverse business database in the world – from directories to local and state certifying agencies – to match all listed vendors to the certifications available for such vendors. In addition, the company enriches the data by providing additional information for each matched vendor. The result is the rapid ability to qualify and quantify your current supplier data to maximize current goals. No more redundant or inaccurate data. 

Go Deeper with Spend Analysis

Various organizations, such as government agencies, corporations, healthcare, and higher education, have unique needs when it comes to data and how they are tracking spend. For instance, many spend a significant amount of money on purchase orders or credit cards across a large number of vendors.  The issue is that this data on potential small and diverse business spend is lost when these dollars aren’t tracked and attributed. Software like B2Gnow’s Spend Analysis module allows organizations to quickly and easily capture and report on this important diverse spend data across their credit card and purchase order expenditures. The payment data is merged with B2Gnow’s extensive recognized certification and registry data, resulting in a complete spend analysis that allows the spend data to be visualized and utilized to granularly evaluate diverse supplier programs.  

Multi Tier Tracking and Reporting

Your program might track and report on Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers; however, your subs may also subcontract with certified businesses. This shallow visibility results in inaccurate reporting on your entire small/diverse vendor utilization, significantly understating your organization’s efforts. Effectively tracking and reporting on those deeper tiers may seem impossible; however, comprehensive supplier diversity management platforms can track goals and record diverse spend up to tier 10, all while ensuring compliance.

Ready to get a handle on your data and grow your supplier diversity program?

Say goodbye to tedious, manual processes, and go deeper into your data. Benefit from a robust supplier diversity software solution that streamlines and automates data-gathering, tracking, reporting, vendor management, and administrative processes, resulting in a significant reduction in staff time and cost – allowing you to focus on meeting diversity goals, not on chasing paper. Learn more about B2Gnow and request a demo.