The Greater Houston Business Procurement Forum honored the HISD supplier diversity team as an advocate of minority businesses with a merit and outstanding community service award during a breakfast event Oct. 22  in celebration of Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week.

MED Week, which also promotes the achievements of minority-owned businesses, is a national initiative of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency.

“Receiving this award is an acknowledgement that HISD continues to do all it can to live up to its commitment of ensuring that procurement opportunities are open and transparent to all in our community,” said Bernard Willingham, HISD Team Lead for Supplier Diversity. “The supplier diversity community in Houston is a very small, tight-knit, but active group. To be recognized in any way by this group of dedicated, tireless, community-focused small business advocates is a tremendous honor.”

The Greater Houston Business Procurement Forum was established in 1991 to provide small business advocates an opportunity to promote and enhance the success of economically and socially disadvantaged businesses, according to its website.

Willingham says the award pays tribute to HISD’s strong and collaborative teams in the Office of Business Assistance, Procurement, and Construction and Facility Services.

“When procurement’s strategic sourcing teams take a meeting with suppliers from prospective minority-and women-owned business enterprises, they tell this community that we want to partner with everyone,” Willingham said. “When our Office of Construction and Facility Services supports construction and design networking events, they show the value placed on a diverse supplier pool.”