Supplier diversity challenge results announced at SUPERCOMM 2001

June 7, 2001 The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) (www.tiaonline.org) announced the results of the 2000 Supplier Diversity Challenge at SUPERCOMM 2001. TIA President Matthew J. Flanigan reported at the Minority-, Women-, and Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (MWDVBE) program that spending on MWDVBE contracts in the last year was $7.79 billion against total domestic procurement of $66.52 billion. This year's cumulative average of diversity spending was 11.7 percent, an increase of 1.6 percent from last year's results of 10.1 percent. The Supplier Diversity Challenge is a joint initiative by the TIA and the Telecommunication Industry Group (TIG) to increase supplier diversity spending.

Since the 2000 challenge, the telecommunications industry achieved a total MVDVBE percentage of 11.71 percent, increased supplier diversity spending to $7.7 billion, and added 39 new signatories to the challenge. TIG's goals for 2001 are to maintain a total MWDVBE percentage of at least ten percent, increase diversity spending to at least $10.0 billion industry-wide, and continue to add additional companies to the Supplier Diversity Challenge.

The results of these goals will be announced at SUPERCOMM 2002.