Inclusive Supply Chain

Building an inclusive supply chain, including support for small & medium enterprise growth and human rights, aims to broaden a company’s supply ecosystem and address regulatory risk.

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BCG helps clients focus on scalable & sustainable impact opportunities across the value chain, including with their suppliers. This may include programs which advance small & medium enterprise growth or address key issues such as  Human Rights across complex global supply chains.

Organizations have long attempted to improve inclusion in procurement. Companies now have an opportunity to double down to build a more inclusive, more resilient economy.

Inclusive  supply chains do not just happen. They require commitment, intention, vision and a strong business case. Benchmarked against leading peers and with clear business objectives that can include supply chain resilience, innovation, and regulatory compliance or risk reduction.

Our Approach to Inclusive Supply Chains

BCG partners with companies, nonprofits, and civic organizations to build inclusive sourcing strategies. BCG can develop a comprehensive strategy to cover each component of the program in detail:

  • Vision. Building the vision and ambition for the inclusive supply chain, benchmarked against leading peers.
  • Roadmap. Determining near-, mid-, and long-term milestones for achieving that vision, along with detailed execution plans for implementation and key initiatives.
  • Governance. Providing clear decision-making rights, roles, and responsibilities between the business stakeholders and procurement; developing processes for the team to operate efficiently, such as annual planning.
  • Engagement Models. Creating service models with varying levels of support that will align the procurement team’s resources to maximize impact; the team can use these models to prioritize their capacity and standardize their playbook offerings.
  • Playbook Offerings. Determining the set of levers the team can use to grow their organization’s spending with small and medium enterprises -- along with the set of activities the team will offer and detailed tactical instructions to execute against.
  • Supplier Experience. Ensuring suppliers are supported throughout their life cycle once they are onboarded (minimizing barriers, tracking their performance, helping them grow within the organization) and developing ways to cultivate the next generation of suppliers through trainings, mentorship programs, and incubators.
  • Tracking and Reporting. Building advanced metrics and reporting dashboards that will go beyond spending to measure impact against key areas: traction of the program, growth of spending and of supplier capabilities, and community impact.

Our Client Work in Inclusive Supply Chain

Global Tech Company. BCG partnered with a global tech company to develop an industry-leading inclusive supply chain strategy. BCG helped the company develop a program to increase spending on underserved suppliers by a factor of five while removing systemic barriers and activating the organization. This contributed to their business as it aimed to increase supply chain resilience and reduce risk.

Our Insights on Inclusive Supply Chain

Meet Our Inclusive Supply Chain Consulting Team

Our consulting team knows how to create impact beyond dollars spent. They are experienced at discovering underserved suppliers, creating partnerships and mentorships, and scaling impact. Here are some of our experts on the topic.

Senior Advisor, BCG; Founder, James H. Lowry & Associates

James H. Lowry

Senior Advisor, BCG; Founder, James H. Lowry & Associates
Chicago

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Justin Dean

Managing Director & Senior Partner
Washington, DC

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Dan Belz

Managing Director & Partner
Chicago

Managing Director & Partner

Marisa Gerla

Managing Director & Partner
Washington, DC

Principal

Walter Diaz

Principal
Boston

Partner and Director

Tim Mohin

Partner and Director
Pittsburgh

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