Overview

Business Diversity promotes access to procurement opportunities with Chicago Public Schools for certified minority and women business enterprises located in the Chicagoland area. 

Goals

Business Diversity has two divisions with separate goals for each division:

• Goods and Services Contracts: 30% minority business enterprises (MBE) and 7% women business enterprises (WBE)
• Construction Contracts: 32% MBE and 8%WBE

Current initiatives

In an effort to advance supplier diversity at CPS more creatively, Business Diversity:

• Encourages CPS vendors to sponsor student internships
• Has established the Mentor Protégé Program to assist capacity building for M/WBE firms
• Has facilitated the hiring of community residents on CPS projects

Accomplishments

In fiscal year 2007 Business Diversity reported the following Chicago Public Schools' supplier diversity accomplishments:

• Goods and  Services contracts: 25% MBE and 12% WBE
• Construction contracts: 32% MBE and 8% WBE

Resources

In an effort to promote equal access to Chicago Public Schools opportunities, Business Diversity hosted a Small Business Opportunity Fair in Fiscal Year 2008 which attracted over 250 local small businesses.