Are You Ready?
The State of Supplier Readiness: Findings from the National Buyer-Supplier Summit, 126th National Business League Annual Conference
The Headline Finding
Scored out of 100. Seven dimensions landed between 53 and 70. Certifications and compliance came in at 21.
"There were no shortages of capabilities for success. Only shortages of mechanisms for success."
8
Dimensions Scored
75%
Did Not Qualify
24%
Qualified w/ Conditions
1%
Fully Approved
What's Inside
Inside: what the room scored, three behavior patterns beyond the numbers, a first look at the Arc of Business Development, and a six-step action plan to close the gap in order.
The Full Story
At the National Buyer-Supplier Summit, part of the 126th National Business League Annual Conference, a national room of Black-owned businesses took a live readiness assessment built around eight dimensions buyers actually check before an award. Seven of the eight dimensions landed in a fairly narrow band, between 53 and 70 out of 100. The eighth, certifications and compliance, came in at 21, more than thirty points below the rest. That single gap decided who qualified for government or corporate supplier certification. Three out of four attendees did not. Not because their businesses were weak. Because the paperwork a buyer requires before award was not yet in place.
Step 1
Read the White Paper
Download Center
Authorship & Credit
Authored by Cazzie Williams, Oscar L. Frazier, Dr. Forrest S. Carter, and Dr. Kenneth L. Harris, President & CEO, The National Business League.