Making a connection with Fortune 500 companies is challenging, and sometimes even a bit mysterious, and the BIZ Procurement Series is the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce's® (NGLCC) latest effort to demystify this critical process.
In this periodic feature, we talk to the corporate supplier diversity representatives who participate on the NGLCC's Procurement Council, and tap into their insights about the process of developing a business relationship with corporate America.
This installment of the Procurement Series features Helise Harrington, diversity partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rohenthal. She explains why the national law firm is committed to ensuring diversity in its supply chain, what the company looks for in its vendors and suppliers, and why having an LGBT certification can help a business work with the firm.
BIZ: What is Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal's philosophy about supplier diversity and why does it have such a strong program?
HH: Sonnenschein is a national law firm. In our efforts to serve our clients, we purchase a broad range of products and services and are committed to obtaining the best and highest-quality resources available. We are also committed to the creation of economic opportunities for underrepresented communities. To that end, we formed a supplier diversity team and have expanded existing business relationships and established new, mutually beneficial business relationships with companies that are owned and operated by ethnic minorities, women, LGBT individuals and persons who have disabilities.
BIZ: What is Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal looking for in its first-tier and second-tier vendors/suppliers?
HH: We are looking for partners to help us provide excellent service to our clients. We want vendors whose products or services are top-quality and who are consistently responsive while recognizing the economics of appropriate pricing.
BIZ: What would you advise to a business that has just become certified as it considers approaching a Fortune 500 company?
HH: Communicate your overall qualifications as a provider, including certifications. Be sure to mention recent successes and provide industry references.
BIZ: What is the best point of entry for certified businesses? Should they reach out to you first or to the department responsible for contracting?
HH: Our purchasing department is the optimum first contact. The first step you will be asked to make is to provide that department with a completed W-9 and Sonnenschein's supplier diversity form.
BIZ: Are there pitfalls that new businesses need to avoid?
HH: As I mentioned before, businesses need to be responsive. In particular, they must meet the quality, service and price commitments they have promised.
BIZ: Do small businesses really have a chance to work with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal?
HH: Absolutely. While we are a relatively large law firm, we are much smaller than Fortune 500 corporations, and we use many small vendors throughout the country. In 2009, we paid $300 or less to more than 50 diverse suppliers, which probably indicates that those firms were small businesses.
BIZ: Does NGLCC certification really matter, especially if business owners feel that they already provide a great product or service?
HH: At this point, to participate in Sonnenschein's supplier diversity program, a business owner must provide us with either certification or an affidavit affirming the business' minority ownership. Therefore, so far as Sonnenschein is concerned, being certified is a plus but not a requirement. In my experience, certification also provides business owners with a community of other businesses that have been vetted and that provide possibilities for cross marketing, partnership and referrals.
