Program Overview

Management Commitment

University of Mississippi Medical Center believes that a top-down commitment is critical to the success of vendor diversity. To this end UMMC implements the following:

• The Vice Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor’s Senior Leadership Team is kept apprised of vendor diversity activities and performance.

• The Vice Chancellor and other executives communicate vendor diversity in their conversations and appearances throughout the community.

• The Associate Vice Chancellors, Deans and other Senior Officers inform all those reporting to them that all will be held accountable for participation.

• A letter from the Associate Vice Chancellor of Administrative Affairs and Associate Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs is included in all RFPs informing all vying for business with UMMC members of their desire to include diversity in their business operations.

• All majority vendors receive a letter from the Associate Vice Chancellor of Administrative Affairs and Associate Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs requiring their cooperation and participation in reporting on second-tier opportunities for minority vendors.

The Associate Vice Chancellor of Administrative Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs and Associate Vice Chancellor of Financial Affairs regularly attend vendor diversity outreach activities within the community.

Corporate Policy

UMMC will provide business opportunities for qualified small, minority, women and veteran-owned businesses. UMMC is committed to the inclusion of small, minority, women and veteran-owned (SMWV) businesses as an integral part of its supply, contractor and professional services efforts. Through the Supplier Diversity Program, UMMC recognizes its responsibility to the communities that it serves, and the society in which it conducts its business. The use of SMWV owned businesses must be a function of our normal purchasing, contractor and professional services process and as is customary, no potential supplier, contractor or professional service provider will be precluded from consideration based on race, color, religion, sex, age or national origin.

Health Care Purchasing

By the nature of its core business, which is medical school, research and patient care, UMMC spends a significant amount with health care suppliers, many of whom are contracted through group purchasing organizations.  UMMC receives the most favorable contract pricing available by committing to high commitment levels within agreements (e.g., 80 or 90% of a member’s spend in a product category). It provides clinicians with high quality products, drives product standardization, and maximizes economic value to member organizations while minimizing risk to patient safety through program standardization.

Strategies to Increase Minority Vendor Participation

If it is in the best interest of UMMC, UMMC may attempt to unbundle opportunities in order to reduce the size of the contracts and increase the potential participation of minority vendors.

Vendor Diversity Teams

Committees were formed in strategic areas throughout UMMC for the purpose of:

• Development and implementation of University of Mississippi Medical Center’s supplier diversity business development program.

• Internal process to identify and communicate purchasing and contracting opportunities.

• Status report to executive management informed on the implementation status of the program.

• Understanding legislation and policy affecting minority vendor participation

Procurement Delivery

Whenever possible, UMMC uses a delivery for procurement opportunities that will allow competitive negotiations. This permits diversity vendors a stronger probability of participation and to present their solutions for adding value to the current procurement opportunity.

The Medical Center Supplier Diversity Team

The Medical Center's Supplier Diversity Team includes:

• Chief Supply Chain

• Chief Information Officer

• Executive Director of Facilities and Planning

• Contracts Management Officer

• Director of Purchasing

• Associate Director of Contracts Administration

• Manager, Contracts Management

UMMC's Internal Monitoring Mechanisms

Procurement dollars going to SMWV firms in each category is monitored and reported regularly as well as year-to-date and compared against prior year-to-date figures.

Terms of the RFP require prime contractors to report subcontract use of SMWV vendors on a quarterly basis.

The Director of Purchasing reviews the results of all SMWV vendor sourcing efforts prior to the beginning the formal procurement process to ensure that SMWV firms have been sourced and included where possible.

Monthly meetings between UMMC Supplier Diversity Team and the Associate Vice Chancellor of Administrative Affairs will continue to enhance opportunities for networking, collaboration, and information sharing.

Small- Minority- Women- Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (SMWV)