In addition to the familiar array of employment-related nondiscrimination and affirmative action compliance requirements that go along with being a federal contractor, most companies doing business with the federal government also must comply with a set of procurement-related affirmative action requirements obligating them to ensure that certain “disadvantaged business enterprises” (DBEs) — including minority-owned small business enterprises (MBEs), women-owned small business enterprises (WBEs), and veteran-owned small business enterprises (VBEs) — are provided with a reasonable and fair opportunity to participate as subcontractors in the performance of the federal contract.
Accordingly, enlightened federal contractors generally have active supplier diversity programs, not only because they may be required by law, but also because it can make good business sense to have corporate spending goals mirror and reinforce a company’s general commitment to nondiscrimination and affirmative action.
Because supplier diversity requirements often parallel employment-related affirmative action requirements, we often are consulted by procurement specialists for advice. To address this need, we are pleased to present this guide to supplier diversity compliance, presented in a user-friendly, question- and-answer format.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.