Another Angle To Benefit Your Community: Addressing The Manufacturing Skills Gap And The Other Top 3 U.S. Manufacturing Challenges. Certification is an incredibly important step for businesses hoping to attract the attention of large companies’ supplier diversity programs. According to their Supplier Diversity Impact Report, their engagement with small and diverse businesses led to over $5.5 billion in contributions to the U.S. economy and sustained 31,095 U.S. jobs in 2018. Note: On the day of your exam, if you are unable to produce a valid I.D. 'Supplier diversity' (also known as 'inclusive procurement') is considered to be the proactive activity undertaken by contracting authorities to ensure that all relevant, potential suppliers have the fair and equal opportunity to complete for business within their supply chains. If you are late, you will be considered a "no show" and your exam fees will be forfeited. By voluntarily implementing a supplier diversity program, you reap the benefits of setting up for success in the long run. Application processing may take up to 4 weeks. The score report provides detail about the task areas where questions were missed. I'M NOT SURE MY JOB TITLE OR JOB DUTIES ARE ELIGIBLE. There’s no better way to keep the bottom line in check and your decision makers happy than to come in under budget and on time. You can take the exams as you work towards your experience and/or degree. Prepared: 45% of supply management professionals currently handle diversity-related tasks. If you have a title that is not normally associated with professional purchasing and supply management, then document your responsibilities in detail and submit with your application. Networking is easier when you are certified, and certification agencies offer educational, development, and advocacy programs that simply are not available to diverse businesses on their own. The average cost for ISM members ranges from $347-$733 USD. For those procurement and supply chain professionals looking for more diverse suppliers, you don’t have to sift through multiple sources to find companies. A Supplier Diversity program is a proactive business program which encourages the use of minority-owned, women owned, veteran owned, LGBT-owned , service disabled veteran owned, historically underutilized business, and Small Business Administration (SBA)-defined small business concerns as suppliers. Lead by example in adopting and leveraging inclusion practices and gain a competitive edge. Certificate dates will appear on the certificate as if the recertification had been completed prior to the expiration of your previous certificate. Many diverse suppliers already know this truth and have achieved their certifications. For those who are self-paced learners, the average is approximately 6 – 12 months to completion, depending on experience and time available to study. Connect with the most active and qualified network of B2B buyers on the world's leading platform for product discovery and supplier selection. In our recent survey of diverse suppliers, 90 percent of minority-owned businesses that responded said they were formally certified, as did 90 percent of woman-owned businesses. Next, review the types of designations available from the OSD. Supplier diversity certification. This also extends to the corporate world, where many large businesses have been recognized for their supplier-diversity programs.