“BP was one of the first corporations in the U.S. to create an official supplier diversity program, and we are proud to support this event,” said Doug Sparkman, chief operating officer, Fuels North America. Sparkman was awarded the Chairman’s Gavel in recognition for serving as honorary chairman of the CBOF 51 Planning Committee. Tyrone Mitchell, D&I manager for Fuels, North America, accepted the award on his behalf.
Sparkman said BP has spent nearly $6 billion with diverse suppliers since 2008 and every year BP partners with 300 of America’s certified minority and women’s business enterprises.
“Our diversified supplier base has contributed to lower operating costs, higher quality goods and services, and real opportunities for local businesses and people,” he noted. “We are determined to find ways to include more minority and women-owned businesses in our supply chain, because we know they help us perform at our best.”
Sparkman said BP is building and sustaining a fully inclusive culture that welcomes the talents, skills and contributions of every person in the workforce, every company in the supply chain and every community partner the company engages.
“We value the innovation and creativity we see from minority and women-owned companies, which have helped us respond to changing business conditions,” he said.
The two-day fair, held in late April, consisted of educational workshops, seminars, and presentations. The sessions connected minority-owned suppliers with more than 50 buying organizations for private introductions and contracting discussions.
The fair also featured a trade show where minority-owned suppliers met with corporate and governmental agency representatives to discuss potential contracting opportunities. About 200 suppliers visited the BP booth at the trade show.
BP America has implemented a company-wide strategy and set a corporate goal of spending $1 billion with diverse suppliers each year by 2020 as part of its effort to strategically integrate supplier diversity into the sourcing process.