The GSA is creating a comprehensive guide to supplier diversity, which will be published and presented at our Sustainable Strategic Sourcing Summit on 28 November in London.

This objective of the guide is to provide readers with a strong foundation on supplier diversity, equipping them to start or enhance their own programs. We aim to include practical examples, templates, and links to further reading and key contacts to support effective implementation. We believe this Guide will be an essential tool to shine a light on the importance of supplier diversity so that it becomes more widely and systematically adopted, and in doing so puts more work into the hands of diverse suppliers, which in turn will bring economic prosperity to their broader communities. As the guide will be published by an independent industry association and the contributions will be from a broad cross section of industries and experts, our aim is for this guide to be the most comprehensive on the subject.

VIEW the overview of the contents we aim to include HERE.

As a leader in the area, I have a number of asks of you:

• To be a contributor and share your thoughts, hints and tips
• To put forward any case studies you may have
• To advise on key areas that you think should be included in this guide and are currently missing
• To introduce me to any contacts or companies you have in this space that you think would provide valuable inputs
• To put yourself forward to have a broadcast recording with myself for inclusion in this guide.

Guide to contributors

You can be anonymous, but my preference would be to be able to attribute your comments to you, so if you can please share full name, title and company. If you have a headshot to share that would be great though not essential

• Please state if willing to do a video chat
• Please highlight the section you are contributing to
• Please submit short sharp soundbites on key aspects
• Please share existing guides, frameworks, reports if you are willing
• Please share more detailed advice
• Please tell your story

If you need to see your comments in situ in the full guide, we will happily share this with you prior to publication

Please share your comments by midday on Weds 20 November to kerryh@gsa-uk.com and admin@gsa-uk.com.

In addition to or in place of contributing to the proposed sections, here are some key questions we aim to get answered – please feel free to respond directly to us on any of these.

• Why can’t we do a lift and shift on supplier diversity from the US?
• What, if anything, should we establish differently in the UK from what has been established in the US?
• Is 51% owned and managed the right definition?
• How would you like Government policy/ies to better support supplier diversity?
• Do you believe supplier accreditation is the right thing to do or not? And why?
• How do you propose we handle suppliers that span a number of diversities?
• Should corporates set - and report on - budgets for spend with diverse suppliers or not?
• If you had one piece of advice for a diverse supplier trying to get your business, what would it be?
• If you had one piece of advice for a corporate embarking on a supplier diversity program, what would it be?
• Any advice on monitoring supplier diversity through end2end global supply chains?

What’s in it for me?

We appreciate this will take time out of your hectic schedules and as such if you are able to share one soundbite, that would be highly valuable. This is not a sponsored guide; this is a community developed guide. All contributors will be recognised for their contributions and in turn recognised as being leaders in this field and your companies recognised as being at the avantgarde of the supplier diversity movement and agenda.

Next steps

Send any of the below to kerryh@gsa-uk.com and admin@gsa-uk.com.

• Send any comments, docs, contacts by 20 November.
• Suggest times for a video call
• Please put Supplier Diversity Guide as the subject header