Strengthening the relationship between the University of Virginia and the surrounding Charlottesville/Albemarle County community is one of UVA President Jim Ryan's top priorities. As such, several UVA-Community partnerships have been formed, featuring working groups with goals to make our community as strong and equitable as possible.
The President's Working Group on the Local Economy has a well-defined plan to increase local spending with local minority-owned firms by 10%, along with doubling University spending with local minority-owned firms.
The Working Group is made up of a variety of UVA and local business leaders. The scope of the group's work includes but is not limited to:
- identifying opportunities across the University for increased vendor relationships with SWaM business
- reviewing the existing vendor selection process, including advertisement, requirements and guidelines, and identifying barriers to access
- surveying UVA purchasing managers to understand how purchasing decisions are made
- consulting with existing and potential vendors to understand barriers
- identifying ways to expand the number of local businesses certified as SWaM
For more information on the President's Council on UVA-Community Partnerships, visit their website.
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