Join the Massachusetts Apprentice Network for the one-year anniversary of its launch.
03/27/2023
9:30am - 11:00am
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
This event will explore why in-game advertising is becoming the next big advertising channel and how companies can tap into the gaming ad space.
03/28/2023
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Mediahub
Thank you for joining us for our second Government Affairs forum of the year that featured Ronald J. Mariano, Massachusetts Speaker of the House.
03/30/2023
9:45am - 11:00am
Colonnade Hotel
Designed for mid-level managers and supervisors, this new certificate program addresses workplace well-being through unique, innovative, and actionable methods.
Join our Transformational DEI Certificate! Our comprehensive learning & development offerings are designed to connect and grow strong leaders who lead both inside and out of the office.
Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.
Expand your DEI professional development with a virtual workshop focused specifically on LGBTQIA+ identities and inclusion.
Our Economic Inclusion Committee provides strategic support around research, policies, and programs that are focused on building equal opportunity.
We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
The Fierce Urgency of Now Festival brings Boston’s diverse young professionals together with business leaders, organizations and their peers to build connection, advance careers and ignite positive change.
09/12/2023 -
09/15/2023
Greater Boston
City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.
BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.
For more than 25 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.
Through MITX (the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange), we’re building valuable connections between the people and ideas behind technology and its impact on the future of customer experiences, all to create a community that’s finding tomorrow’s solutions together.
We support small business through public policy initiatives, events designed to connect small businesses in Greater Boston to their peers and established business leaders, professional development offerings, and free small business advising.
Explore our mission and values to better understand how we are leading the business community forward.
Our member directory is your resource to discover, connect, and engage with Boston’s businesses from every industry and sector.
PACESETTERS SUCCESS STORY
Customarily in supplier diversity practices, the full contract value of large RFPs is bid and awarded to one firm. In many cases, these awards go to large national companies who occasionally subcontract a portion of the total award to a minority vendor. Northeastern University, a Pacesetter company since 2018 adopted a more progressive approach.
The deal was created by their Planning, Real Estate & Facilities (“PREF”) department, whose mission is to shape and care for Northeastern University’s physical environment in support of learning and discovery. In 2022, PREF, which oversees Northeastern’s global campus network, its climate justice and sustainability hub, facilities operations, and all its real estate and capital projects, broke their janitorial contract into two bid packages – the first bid package covered 80% of the “cleanable” campus square footage and the second bid package covered 20% of the “cleanable” campus square footage – allowing for more than one bidder to be awarded a contract and to further encourage small, diverse businesses to participate in the University’s RFP process. Bid package one was awarded to ABM Group, who subcontracted 20% of their contract value with All Time Service, a Boston based M/WBE cleaning company, which exceeded the University’s 15% M/WBE subcontractor participation requirement contained in the first bid package. Bid package two was awarded to DRB Facilities Services, an MBE janitorial, landscaping, and snow removal service company.
Anthony Samuels, CEO and President, founded DRB in 1993. Under his leadership, DRB employs over 725 employees, provides a full range of services for both corporate and government clients, and has been recognized as a leader in the industry.
The contracts between Northeastern, DRB, and All Time Service demonstrates how impactful subcontracting opportunities are in growing small business’ capacity and potential to win larger contracts. An all or nothing mindset to procurement can result in a zero-sum outcome for both the buyer and supplier. Building blocks for mentorship and subcontracting can lead to strong relationships between companies and overall, a stronger supply chain for Greater Boston.
DRB first started working with Northeastern as a subcontractor responsible for 18% of their Boston campus. Over the contract cycle, DRB was able to improve the quality and consistency of service. When Northeastern had a new contract available, DRB was invited to bid for the entirety of the campus. DRB submitted a comprehensive and timely bid response. Their technology driven service platform, quality assurance initiatives, passionate management team, and focus on sustainability made them the right fit for the proposal. This combination of skillsets was showcased during the DRB management team’s presentation to Northeastern University’s Facility, Procurement, and Finance Teams. During the presentation, Northeastern evaluated the team, the content of their RFP submission, and pricing. DRB outscored the other companies resulting in the award of the contract of approximately $6 million over two years, plus three one-year extension options at Northeastern’s discretion.
The subcontract awarded to All Time Service is a two-year term with a minimum of $2.6 million in the first year and $2.8 million in the second year with three additional one-year extension options at Northeastern University’s discretion. As part of the agreement, ABM Group adjusted their payment terms to allow All Time Service to receive payment faster, thereby allowing All Time Service to pay for their materials and staff to meet project deadlines. “Northeastern is excited to have the opportunity to grow another MBE contractor through this contract,” said Rosanna Molinaro, Director of Procurement and Contracts at Northeastern.
The Pacesetters program continuously supports partnerships in supplier diversity and cross-network sharing of best practices. Anthony Samuels, Founder and CEO of DRB states, “having a relationship with Northeastern University through the Pacesetters program provided an opportunity for additional insight into the DRB brand, and our true commitment to our partnerships and quality of service. This relationship and overall understanding of our differentiators helped to bring this deal to the finish line”. Building a network of reputable suppliers starts with information sharing and clear lines of communication. DRB also attributes the success of the contract to the clarity and depth of Northeastern’s RFP, citing that they will use the guidelines in the capabilities statement for future communications and marketing to increase their own competitiveness.
Northeastern emphasized DRB’s responsiveness and excellent services at a competitive rate. DRB’s work ethos follows a quote by Henry Ford, “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” They have exemplified the importance of sustaining positive business relationships through a track record of exemplary services. DRB has built a reputation as a quality firm, leading Northeastern to create innovative contract terms. In doing so, Northeastern has become a demonstrated leader in implementing new ways of contracting with diverse suppliers and committing to its promise of proactively advancing supplier diversity.
There are several methods to crafting more equitable contract terms for suppliers. These methods create greater opportunities for small and diverse businesses who historically have had less access to capital and capacity to take on large contracts. Practices such as breaking a contract into two or more parts to give more than one business the opportunity to bid. Requiring large prime contractors to work with diverse subcontractors gives minority- owned businesses the chance to exercise their expertise on a larger scale and to grow.
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