Supplier diversity outcomes on a construction or development project depend on more than any single party's commitment. Owners, developers, general contractors, and trade partners all influence the outcome, and misalignment between them is one of the most common reasons ambitious goals fall short in practice.
Where Misalignment Typically Happens
A developer may set an ambitious supplier diversity goal at the project's outset, but if that expectation isn't clearly communicated to the general contractor's bid process, or the general contractor's trade partners aren't held to the same standard, the goal exists on paper without a clear mechanism for achieving it. Each party may genuinely support the goal while still operating with different expectations about who's responsible for what.
Setting Shared Expectations Early
Effective coordination starts with clear, shared expectations set at the beginning of the project: ideally documented in a way that flows from the owner or developer through the general contractor and into trade partner agreements. When diversity participation expectations are addressed as clearly as budget or schedule expectations, they tend to get the same level of attention.
Structuring Bid Packages With Participation in Mind
General contractors and trade partners play a direct role in how scopes of work are packaged for bidding. Bundled, large-scope packages can unintentionally exclude smaller diverse suppliers who could competitively bid on a portion of the work. Coordinating on bid package structure (with diverse participation as one factor in that decision) expands the realistic pool of suppliers who can compete.
Regular Communication Throughout the Project
Coordination shouldn't end once the project starts. Regular check-ins between the developer, general contractor, and key trade partners (reviewing participation progress against goals) allow issues to surface and get addressed while there's still time to adjust, rather than at final reporting.
Shared Accountability
The strongest outcomes tend to happen when supplier diversity participation is treated as a shared responsibility across the project team, not solely the developer's compliance obligation or solely the general contractor's task to manage independently.
Key Takeaways
Supplier diversity goals require coordination across owners, developers, general contractors, and trade partners: not just a single party's commitment.
Clear, shared expectations set early prevent misalignment between project stakeholders.
Bid package structure directly affects which suppliers can realistically compete.
Regular check-ins throughout a project allow participation issues to be addressed before they become reporting problems.
Create Shared Accountability Across the Project
Inclusive Strategies helps developers, general contractors, and trade partners create clearer expectations and shared accountability for supplier participation. Lesley Crane, a former IDOA Commissioner, and Megan Lawson, former leader of Vendor Management and Supplier Performance within IDOA procurement, bring firsthand process experience to this work. Learn more at inclusivestrategies.co.