“Achieving Quality Growth and Development for Minority Businesses thru Strategic and Targeted Investment, Education and Market Integration”

Providing professional Diversity Consulting represents the opportunity and commitment to continue the work of growing and developing local MBE/WBE firms. CMP focuses our diversity program management work in (3) key areas:

• MBE/WBE Business Participation – Opportunity Development and Execution Strategies
• Compliance – Trade Workforce and Business Participation – Metrics, Measurement and Reporting
• Capacity Building – Education and Training – Construction Technical Support, Industry Collaboration
• Technology, Data Validation/Analysis and Learning Management Systems – Tracking & Reporting

CMP delivers qualitative and quantitative results for our Clients and their projects which require the implementation of a Diversity & Inclusion Program. This includes a constant Client focused commitment to address all challenges and problem resolution with professionalism and tested communication strategies for effective and timely resolution of all issues.

Implementing a Diversity & Inclusion Program

Diversity Background Data:

While today minorities represent approximately 28% of the population, the Census Bureau forecasts that this will increase to one-third by 2020, and fifty percent by 2050. Over this same period it is estimated that the US population will grow by 118 million, of which 92% will be minorities. Minorities are becoming better educated and the number of minorities in the ‘prime entrepreneurial age’ range (35-40) is increasing.  As a result minority businesses are growing rapidly. However, they are still under-represented in the economy, accounting for only 13% of US business, 6% of gross receipts, and just 3% of total corporate purchases.

Minority business development programs encourage economic growth in the minority community – expanding their markets, leading to increased capital investment and employment opportunities, etc. In return companies that have such programs reap the benefits of the development of a larger pool of qualified suppliers and contractors, which can translate into increased competition, cost savings, higher quality, and the development of new services. Additionally, these programs can also ensure more stable sources of supply by increasing local and regional commitments, let companies take advantage of the potentially greater flexibility of small businesses, and enhance a business reputation as a good corporate citizen.

The CMP Diversity Inclusion Program demonstrates a specific level of community engagement and vision. It also consistently celebrates the diversity within the City of St. Louis and allows us to view the differences among us as strengths and assets.  

CMP’s Diversity Program Management success is attributed to our ability to educate the Client on the importance of establishing:

• A written corporate policy clearly stating its commitment to diversity & inclusion, minority business development, training, coaching and compliance
• Visible and articulated leadership commitment
• A communications strategy to inform internal and external audiences of the Client’s Diversity & Inclusion Program.
• Assignment of resources to support diversity inclusion efforts.
• Formal, measurable goals defining expected levels of accomplishment.
• Establishment of accountability so that those responsible are aware of and held to expectations.
• A measurement and reporting system that allows management to monitor results in a real-time fashion and respond to developments.
• Benchmarking of diversity inclusion efforts against local and regional efforts, both within and outside the healthcare industry.
• A recognition program to celebrate results.

Construction Management Partners, LLC is typically engaged as an Owner advisor, responsible for the on-going implementation and execution of the Diversity & Inclusion Program. This includes emphasis and reassessment of program strategies, goals, a specific implementation plan, ongoing compliance/monitoring, and regular reporting back to corporate leadership.  Project expectations are specific, measurable, and actionable. They are also both quantitative and qualitative in nature and are benchmarked against industry standards.

Success strategies for a successful D & I Program included:

• Break out overall participation goals into individual package goals based on representation of MBE/WBE suppliers in the marketplace for specific scopes and trade demands.
• Identification of high-potential areas to target MBE/WBE participation for growth.
• Identification of low-potential areas to explore the potential for MBE/WBE growth.
• Considerations for dividing large packages into smaller components to enable minority businesses to bid and compete for the work.
• Establishment of a MBE/WBE or Supplier Diversity Advisory Committee.
• An effective second-tier supplier strategy thru partnering and strategic alliances between MBE/WBE firms and larger non-minority primes.

A truly successful diversity & inclusion program is one that goes beyond simply awarding contracts to minority businesses.  The program establishes relationships with MBE/WBEs to enable them to grow and improve their core competencies, thereby improving their business position in the market to the mutual benefit of the Owner and the MBE/WBE firms. The program’s success is contingent first and foremost on the leadership’s ‘buy-in’ and commitment, as well as a well-defined plan and its systematic implementation.