Climate Justice Action Plan > Regenerative Economies

Procure from, collaborate with, and resource small, local, women and minority-owned businesses

Supporting small, local, women, and minority business enterprises (SL/W/MBEs) with the resources they need to thrive for themselves, their employees, and their communities can lead to regenerative economies, economic stability, and reduction in the persistent and harmful wealth gap. Northeastern’s Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship and the Northeastern Law School’s Community Business Clinic are two examples of how our academic and research partners can advance this effort.

CJAP Actions

Build transparency and accountability into university spend

DESCRIPTION
Share the University’s process(es) for bidding & vendor selection, particularly on large contracts, and provide training for procurement professionals to promote and track diverse spending. Create transparent systems to measure impact with respect to diverse bidding, awards, and spending. Over the next five years, double the total value of W/MBEs contracts from the last five years while setting transparent targets across large spending areas (IT, Food, Professional Services, Capital Projects, etc).

NORTHEASTERN LEAD
Office of University Finance (Procure-To-Pay)

ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER
NU Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship

OTHER PARTNERS
NU PREF

Support business through procurement

DESCRIPTION
Support local small businesses through Northeastern’s procurement process, expanding access to on-campus markets and increasing the number of SL/W/MBE businesses working with Northeastern at different stages to help them grow their business. Expand the percent of purchases bid for large contracts.

NORTHEASTERN LEAD
Planning, Real Estate, and Facilities (Procurement and Contract Management)

ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER
NU Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship

OTHER PARTNERS
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Black Economic Council of MA

Support businesses through space

DESCRIPTION
Establish a business in residence space on campus that focuses on local, SL/W/MBEs vendors emerging into the brick and mortar stage of their businesses. Offer affordable rent and technical assistance for a mix of food & beverage and other retail.

NORTHEASTERN LEAD
Planning, Real Estate, and Facilities
Business Services

ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER
NU IMP Task Force, NU Community Advisory Board

OTHER PARTNERS
NU Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship

Support businesses through programming

DESCRIPTION
Create programming for local W/MBEs and entrepreneurs to connect with NU resources and networks so they can help grow their businesses.

NORTHEASTERN LEAD
School of Law (Clinics)

ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER
NU IMP Task Force, NU Community Advisory Board

OTHER PARTNERS
NU Advancement, NU DMSB, IDEA

Community Spotlight

Black Owned Bos. (pronounced “boss”) creates spaces to amplify, incubate, and support. Black Owned Bos. officially launched in March 2019 as a platform and resource to highlight and lift Black owned businesses, places, spaces and the people moving the culture forward.

Implementation Tracker

Explore all the goals, strategies, and actions to see how we are working towards impact via this interactive table.

plan in action

Taking the Pulse of Procurement Professionals: The State of Supplier Diversity in Higher Education

Jul 23, 2024

Cultivating Connections Through Mentorship

Cultivating Connections Through Mentorship In the heart of Northeastern University’s Planning, Real Estate, and Facilities (PREF) division, amidst the hum of productivity and the shuffle of paperwork, two colleagues find a quiet corner for a moment of reflection....

Doing Business with Higher Education: Module for Diverse Small Businesses

Employees across the Construction Industry Meet and Discuss Equity and Inclusivity

A bustling crowd of more than a hundred industry professionals working in construction, architecture, and planning gathered at Northeastern University to explore the topic of diversity. The conference the Alliance for Building and Construction Diversity (ABCD), which...