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Centers of Excellence

Centers of Excellence is a program of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) to enhance successful business relationships between corporations and MBEs by strengthening corporate minority supplier development processes.

The NMSDC has worked in partnership with its member corporations to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority businesses (Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native American) of all sizes.  Minority supplier development is recognized as an important management practice as corporations collaborate with suppliers in pursuit of higher productivity and profits.  NMSDC Centers of Excellence is a network of regional business modules bringing together expertise in minority business development for continuous improvement of this management practice.  Based on forecasted needs, corporate module members have the opportunity to identify MBEs in their region to participate in these modules and be an integral part of their growth.

Program Description 

This program, NMSDC Centers of Excellence (COE), will provide a structured environment for fostering minority business development.  The COE is a forum for defining issues, gathering data on industry best practices, and establishing tools and processes to engage minority businesses.  By utilizing NMSDC best practices of minority supplier development, we can enhance corporate supplier diversity processes and build capacity of MBEs.  The MBEs will be better able to compete for national and global business opportunities and become strategic partners in the supply chain.   

The COE is composed of a network of regional groups called "Business Modules" that have committed to enhance the supplier diversity process by implementing NMSDC minority business development best practices.  A Business Module consists of 8-10 corporations, 16-20 MBEs, and the Regional Council President.  A Module Cycle is 18-24 months in duration. 

Each Corporate Business Module participant is expected to offer capacity building activity for one or more MBEs in the group in at least one developmental area.  Examples of developmental areas include quality training, executive education, financial assistance, technical assistance, project management, strategic partnerships, etc. 

NMSDC Centers of Excellence Benefits 

  • Enhances corporation's minority business development process by using NMSDC Best Practices.
  • Provides opportunity for corporations to benchmark successful minority supplier development strategies among corporate peers.
  • Provides increased business opportunities for both corporate members and MBEs through learning from each other's competitive strengths.
  • Has a greater impact on improving the economic environment of the community by reinforcing the concept of buying among and between corporations and MBE companies.
  • Aligns more closely the sales methods of MBEs with the procurement processes of corporate module members.
  • Improves competitive market position by helping corporations satisfy the expectations of an increasingly diverse customer base.
  • Develops a portfolio of capacity building models/templates for use in enhancing minority  business development.

For More Information:

National Minority Supplier Development Council
1359 Broadway, Tenth Floor
New York, New York 10018
212-944-2430
E-mail: kanita.sandidge@nmsdc.org

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