Construction Inclusion Week Toolbox Talk 13

Economic Opportunity - Broadening Opportunity for Qualified Suppliers

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

— African Proverb

Economic Opportunity - Broadening Opportunity for Qualified Suppliers

Emerging, local, and small businesses often possess high-quality capabilities but face administrative barriers when bidding on major packages. Broadening vendor outreach and removing unnecessary pre-qualification bottlenecks create healthy competition and supply chain resilience. Broadening access delivers high-performing projects while driving real economic growth in local communities.

PILLARS:

Economic Opportunity, Community Engagement, Commitment & Accountability

OBJECTIVE:

Explore strategies for expanding vendor outreach to qualified local and emerging suppliers while maintaining objective quality, cost, and safety standards.

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Sample Activities

Discussion Questions

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Sample Activity Options

JOBSITE ACTIVITY

Create a “Partner spotlight” board featuring photos or stories of their impact.

OFFICE ACTIVITY

Track which suppliers create entry-level opportunities or apprenticeships.

School/Community Activity

Invite suppliers to speak with students about careers and business ownership.

Group Activity

List 5 benefits of growing your network, and who benefits most.

Discussion Questions

Procurement and trade partner choices directly impact project flexibility and local economic resilience. This discussion explores broad vendor outreach, removing process bottlenecks for emerging businesses, and utilizing transparent, performance-based selection criteria.

What’s the link between who we hire and who has a career path in construction?
What gets in the way of working with small or emerging firms?
How can we remove barriers and create more access through our contracts?
Who on our team has the ability to open doors through procurement or project planning?
What’s one simple action we can take to open doors wider in procurement or partnership?