TSA Forum: Supplier Diversity

Supplier Diversity is an approach to procurement that increases access to business opportunities for companies owned by members of underrepresented identity groups. 

Though the Canadian construction industry’s approach to supplier diversity is behind that of the United States, it is experiencing shifts as large corporations, municipalities, and institutions better understand the benefits of diversifying their supply chains.

In Canada, there are certifying organizations for businesses owned by persons identifying as 2SLGBTQIA+, racialized, disabled, indigenous, or women. These organizations provide assurance that those benefiting from supplier diversity programs are eligible. They also support business education, networking, and opportunity for their respective members and communities. 

Join us on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, for this virtual lecture with an incredible lineup of speakers that support and promote supplier diversity in the AEC industry. Through short presentations, as well as a panel discussion with an audience Q&A, this session will offer a range of information and perspectives to help procurement professionals and businesses owned by equity-deserving groups understand supplier diversity and its ecosystem, benefits and considerations. Overall, participants will learn what companies may expect as this approach moves from nice-to-do to more formally required. 

Learning Outcomes

• Understand what Supplier Diversity strategies are and why they are necessary.
• Identify the business benefits of supplier diversity, both to large procurers and to minority-owned businesses.
• Learn what Canadian companies in the construction industry, and those that procure their services, are doing to establish inclusive procurement practices.