2018 Utility Supplier Diversity Update: Opening Doors for Entrepreneurs of Color

Supplier diversity helps direct corporate procurement to businesses owned by historically marginalized communities. The California legislature created a supplier diversity program at the California Public Utilities Commission that requires regulated utilities (such as energy and telecommunications companies) to engage in good faith efforts to contract with diverse businesses and report data on the diversity of their supply chain. This report analyzes the 2017 supplier diversity reports of 18 utilities, including the telecommunications, energy, water and wireless industries. It finds that the percentage of procurement from diverse businesses remained virtually unchanged from outcomes reported in 2016, but a few stand-out companies did achieve relatively high spending with diverse businesses.