Supplier Diversity and Sustainability in the UT Market Place
Procurement Services is pleased to offer resources to help University departments support supplier diversity and sustainable procurement. Click on the links below to learn more about these initiatives. Scroll down to the table to learn how to search for diversity-supplied and sustainable products in the UT Market Place.
UT’s Supplier Diversity Program
Small and Diversity Business Classifications Recognized by the State of Tennessee
- DSBE – Business owned by persons with disabilities
- MBE – Minority-owned business enterprise
- SBE – Small business enterprise
- SDVBE – Service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprise
- WBE – Women-owned business enterprise
Visit the Tennessee Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise’s website to learn more.
State of Tennessee Certifying Agencies
- TN GoDBE – Tennessee Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise
This is the most important certification to UT because when we report our small and diversity business spend to the state, we are only allowed to report spend with GoDBE certified companies. Currently, this is the only diversity spend that we measure and report. GoDBE certifies Tennessee businesses that are small, minority-owned, woman-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, or owned by persons with disabilities.
- TDOT – TN Department of Transportation
Nationally Recognized Certifying Agencies
- NMSDC – National Minority Supplier Development Council
- OSDBU – U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization
- TSMSDC – Tri-State Minority Supplier Development Council, regional affiliate of NMSDC serving Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia
- SBA – U. S. Small Business Administration
- WBENC – Women’s Business Enterprise National Council
Other Certifying Agencies
- MMBC – Mid-South Minority Business Council
- NMBC – The National Minority Business Council, Inc.
Searching for Diversity-Supplied and Sustainable Products in the UT Market Place
| Company Name | Certified small or diversity-owned company? | Diversity Certification(s) | Catalog contains filters for diversity-supplied products? | Instructions to search for diversity-supplied products. | Catalog contains filters for sustainable products? | Instructions to search for sustainable products. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Business | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
| Edwards Supply Co., Inc. | Yes | TN GoDBE WBENC TSMSDC | N/A | All products are diversity-supplied. | No | |
| Fastenal | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
| Fisher Scientific | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
| Grainger | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
| Graphic Creations | Yes | TN GoDBE | N/A | All products are diversity-supplied. | No | Type "sustainable" in search box. |
| MSC Industrial Supply Co. | No | No | Yes | Instructions | ||
| Scientific Sales Inc. | Yes | TN GoDBE TSMSDC | N/A | All products are diversity-supplied. | No | |
| SHI | Yes | TN GoDBE WBENC NMBC | N/A | All products are diversity-supplied. | No | |
| Sigma-Aldrich (Millipore Sigma) | No | No | Yes | Instructions | ||
| Staples Business Advantage | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions | |
| Staples Promotional Products | No | No | Yes | Instructions | ||
| VWR | No | Yes | Instructions | Yes | Instructions |