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“It’s important that we benchmark this commitment because it affords us the ability to continually improve. You cannot improve what you don’t measure.”
Patrice Haley
INTRODUCTION
Investing in Diverse Businesses
Opportunities for diverse businesses help build our industry and our communities. DPR’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion goes beyond our organization. It extends to our suppliers, trade partners and vendors.
In 2023, we set the foundation from which to build a future supply chain that exemplifies inclusive engagement, collaboration and commerce. One where diverse trade partners, vendors, suppliers and professional service providers grow and thrive alongside DPR as valued team members. Our people and projects are most successful when they benefit from the full spectrum of backgrounds, experience, and perspectives that exist in every community.
Customer Commitments
Agents for Industry Change
Over the last year, in all of DPR’s core markets, we experienced a growing number of customers prescribe supplier diversity goals on capital projects. Representation by core market includes:
Advanced Technology
5 Active Projects
Commercial
2 Active Projects
Healthcare
50 Active Projects
Higher Education
10 Active Projects
Life Sciences
9 Active Projects
Other
5 Active Projects
Projects
Partnerships Making an Impact
Video: City of Tampa City Center at Hanna
Ave
DPR partnered with two certified BBE (Black Business Enterprise) firms on the City Center at Hanna Avenue project. DuCon Construction ($14.3M) and Strategist Support Services ($3M) provided turnkey general contracting services on the Fleet and Facilities Buildings and the Parking Garage respectively. These scopes of work were the largest contracts either firm had been awarded to date. In addition to our GC Partners, DPR’s self-perform team also mentored two additional BBE firms: A Purpose Construction ($1M) and CWJ Drywall ($2M) in Concrete and Drywall packages. CWJ Drywall has gone on to work on additional projects in the Tampa area for DPR.
Partnering with Female-Owned GC
DPR is partnering with BridgePoint on a large, public College of Veterinary Medicine project that will provide BridgePoint with an opportunity to grow its experience and expand its portfolio. Founded in 2007, BridgePoint is a female-owned, HUB-certified construction company with expertise completing commercial projects in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina.
Working as one seamlessly integrated team, BridgePoint is taking the lead on multiple scopes of work during the preconstruction phase and will directly manage the scopes through completion providing both a project manager and superintendent for these selected scopes of work.
Developing a Diverse Workforce
For a new two-story retail building project in Washington, DC, DPR focused on workforce development as part of the District of Columbia’s local hiring ordinance that consisted of the following:
- Included First Source Employment Agreement in the Subcontract Agreement of our Trade Partners with contracts over $100,000.
- Participated in community hiring events that focused on neighborhoods facing barriers to employment.
- Collaborated with Building Futures, a construction training program for low-income DC residents, to meet talent and shared Building Future’s information with trade partners.
- Partnered with Workforce Development organization that provided training and placement services.
- Communicated with Union Halls to ensure individuals were coming from specific zip codes.
- Provided monthly reports on First Source hiring efforts.
Building Diverse Partnerships
DPR is in a Joint-Venture partnership with Rodgers Builders (WBE), and RJ Leeper Construction (MBE) at Atrium Health Carolinas Rehab and Bed Tower Expansion project.
RJ Leeper Construction is providing turn-key CM services on the Atrium Parking Deck with DPR’s support. In addition, the Joint Venture has awarded a stand-alone auxiliary building scope of work to a local MBE firm, Morcon Construction. DPR also required MEP trade partners on the Atrium Health project to work with diverse businesses to build their capacity in these trades. Specifically, the electrical contractor partnered with Diversified Supply (MBE/VBE). As a result, Diversified has acquired new warehouse space in the local area, hired local employees, and increased their projected revenue by $10 million.
The partnerships shared with Canterbury throughout our project opportunities has been unparalleled. Our relationship with an existing client has been fostered, the knowledge gained and lessons learned will be long lasting, and the internal growth this allowed our team will propel our company forward in all our next ventures. It has given some of my team members the opportunity to catapult their career forward. These experiences will continue growing Canterbury with great hopes of striving toward being a major competitor in the construction industry.
Junior Burr
President, Canterbury Enterprises
Having large prime contractors working with G&C affords the company the opportunity to economically stimulate the local community by hiring local workers and providing scholarships to students from underserved communities. It also provides an opportunity to hire service-disabled veterans and mentoring opportunities for local businesses.
Gene Hale
Founder and CEO, G&C Equipment
It means the world to me as a small business to have the support of a larger organization who supports my growth. In the past 16 years, I have had some great business mentors and developed lifelong friendships and business partners, which is the basis for future collaboration. It was a great investment for my business and my personal development. I was able to avoid common industry pitfalls, excel over my competition and develop important connections. Working with larger firms provides consistency and resources to successfully run my business and it taught me how to pay it forward by mentoring other smaller firms.
Bianca Vobecky
Founder, President and CEO, Vobecky Enterprises, Inc.
The Road Ahead
Path to Mission 2030
What do we need to improve? How can we refine the DPR Supplier Diversity program so that the program continues to:
1) deepen our commerce and relationships with small/diverse businesses
2) address the critical needs of the small/diverse business community
3) grow the capacity of small/diverse business partners.
Collaboration with Supply Chain
We are working with our supply chain experts to ensure that they consider diversity as they procure goods for OES, DPR, and its entities. We are introducing supplier diversity program concepts and goals with DPR self-perform work (SPW) and other DPR businesses that can be adopted and incorporated into their procurement activities.
Trade partner training and preparation
In 2024, DPR will begin planning for a small/diverse trade partner training and mentoring program to teach small/diverse businesses how to successfully work with DPR Construction.
Continue relationship building with project teams and diverse trade partners
Creating and nurturing relationships with DPR project teams is an ongoing priority for the Supplier Diversity team. Our goal is to be part of each team, sharing strategies for achieving diversity goals, and crafting project-specific supplier diversity plans in concert with our DPR team members.
Streamline our data collection and archives for Get Work
DPR has adopted and implemented an industry-leading diversity management software system, B2GNow, to collect and verify small/diverse business spend. In turn, we provide that data to our Get Work teams to assist in pursuits and demonstrate DPR's expertise in supplier diversity.
Scaling B2GNow for tracking all DPR projects
After launching B2GNow in 2020, we have over 170 DPR projects in the system. We are brainstorming with B2GNow to explore how to scale the system to monitor all DPR projects and what that level of implementation will require in terms of integration with existing DPR systems like CMiC, SmartBid, and others.
Supplier Diversity
Highlights from 2023
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Posted on May 1, 2024
Last Updated May 21, 2024