SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.— Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) received a grade of “A” for its 2015 supplier diversity efforts from The Greenlining Institute. The grade, recently released in the organization’s 2016 Supplier Diversity Report Card, is the highest the energy company has received from the Berkeley, Calif.-based policy, research, organizing and leadership group that works for racial and economic justice.
“We very much value the Greenlining Institute’s annual report card and its advocacy of supplier diversity. Over several decades, PG&E has focused on working with suppliers that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve—and giving those suppliers opportunities to grow,” said PG&E Chairman, CEO and President Tony Earley.
In its report card, Greenlining praised PG&E for its supplier diversity success “because its supplier diversity team works closely with the company’s lines of business and with their prime suppliers to identify diverse businesses that can meet their needs.” In its executive summary, Greenlining acknowledged PG&E for being the top spender in 2015 amongst the 19 California utility companies graded with a minority business enterprise (MBE) spend of $1.6 billion.
The organization gave PG&E an “A” grade for its spend with African American, Native American and women of color (minority women) spend and an “A-“ for MBE spend. Greenlining commended PG&E for its “comprehensive financial literacy support for Accelerated Pay Program participants and an intensive Supplier Development Program focused on mentorship.”
Greenlining’s report card scored companies on their supplier diversity performance in California. The organization took four best practices into consideration in giving PG&E its “A” grade:
• Include supplier diversity in procurement decisions from the very start.
• Incentives for employees to better incorporate diversity into their day-to-day work.
• Require diversity commitments from prime contractors.
• Focused capacity-building, technical assistance, and mentorship support that help suppliers get better at what they do best.
PG&E has been committed to supporting a diverse supply chain for 35 years while developing one of the state’s leading supplier diversity programs. In 2015, PG&E spent a record $2.5 billion with diverse suppliers, accounting for 44 percent of its total procurement budget while spending more than $2 billion for the fourth consecutive year.
Over the last 12 months, PG&E’s supplier diversity program has been nationally recognized:
• In August, PG&E made Minority Business News USA Magazine’s (MBNUSA) 2016 Corporate 101: Most Admired Companies in Supplier Diversity.
• In May, PG&E was named as one of the top utilities in the nation for diversity by DiversityInc.
• In March, PG&E was recognized as one of America’s top companies for women-owned businesses by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.
• Last December, Earley was named to MBNUSA’s 2015 “Best of the Decade” list for PG&E’s long track record of supporting minority business development. In addition, PG&E Director of Supply Chain Responsibility Joan Kerr was inducted into the publication’s Circle of Honor.
PG&E’s Supplier Diversity website contains more information about the program. The site also provides details on how to become a certified diverse supplier.
