Liaison
Purpose and History
The Diversity in Contract Liaisons program is a critical component in achieving diversity in contracts. Each department at The University of Central Florida (UCF) has its own purchasing needs and budgets. A liaison program, implemented and designed in 2006, seeks to create champions for supplier diversity across the university within each department. These champions strive to include diversity in their department's quote process.
Administration and Finance Vice President and Chief Financial Manager Bill Merck sent a memorandum to all UCF departments and colleges formally announcing the liaison program. The memo encouraged the university to select a department liaison as the contact for small business opportunities. Since that time, the liaison program has had up to sixty members.
Diversity in Contract Liaisons
These liaisons or champions identify and pass on purchasing opportunities to Diversity in Contracts and encourage their department staff members to include diverse businesses when soliciting quotes for various opportunities. They also participate in on-campus supplier diversity events and some have even participated in external diversity outreach events.
The UCF Diversity in Contracts Liaison program supports the university goals to become more inclusive and diverse and each member receives applause for their efforts and contributions to vendor diversity. Thank you to all liaisons who have successfully connected businesses with opportunities.
Become a Diversity in Contract Liaison
Do you want to become a Diversity in Contracts Liaison for your department? Learn how
your department can help UCF's supplier diversity initiative, Diversity in Contracts Fact
Sheet, Links to Diversity in Contracts Program.
Fact Sheet
S/MWVBE Search Database
Use the featured directories to search for a listing of SMWVBE or contact the Diversity in Conctracts for help in identifying vendors for inclusion.
Feel free to contact Diversity in Contracts at any time to obtain a list of potential businesses. Allow 2-3 days and include your vendor criteria, scope of work, and deadline with your request.
Disclaimer: Purchasing does not maintain a list of "approved vendors." Each department is encouraged to evaluate each vendor according to its own satisfaction. Review vendors' past work, references, and pricing prior to selection. Purchasing Buyers can assist as far as searching cooperative contracts and existing annual contracts for use with particular purchases.
City of Orlando - Minority Business Enterprise Directory
Central North Florida Minority Supplier Development Council
Office of Supplier Diversity - State of Florida Minority Vendor Listing Online
Orange County Minority Vendor Database
Contact purchdep@ucf.edu for FMSDC login and password
Sharing Successes
Diversity in Contract Liaisons, we want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your supplier diversity success story or share your advice for future success. To submit a success story please email Diversity in Contracts!
Diversified Executive Systems
Congratulations to Dennis Reussow and the College of Education for helping the university become more inclusive and diverse by being open to considering all businesses. This is a perfect example of a minority-owned business offering complex and critical business solutions. This example should put to rest misconceptions that using minority businesses will equate to a lower quality of services. Thank you to Roy DeCastro of Diversified Executive Systems (DESF) for the services provided to UCF.
After knocking on the many doors at The University of Central Florida, (UCF), the persistence of Mr. DeCastro paid off. Mr. DeCastro was awarded a contract to provide consulting assistance to an academic program within the College of Education.
Mr. DeCastro provided a solution that permitted the College of Education to identify and secure the services of a very highly qualified consultant and remain in full compliance with all provisions of the Florida Retirement System. A signed contract was obtained in less than a week, solving a potentially very serious problem without administrative complications or roadblocks.
The fact that DES offers specialized staffing solutions by recruiting state employees who have entered Florida's state deferred retirement option program (DROP) is a caveat that sets DES apart from its competition. Additionally, UCF was able to adopt the contract DES had with another state agency that eliminated lengthy price negotiations.
Visit www.dessolutions.com to learn more about Diversified Executive Systems.
DES named the 2011 minority business of the year by Florida’s Office of Supplier Diversity!
Sundax Florida Inc
“A few months ago our department (Academic Services) was looking for a vendor that could provide a large Pegasus to hang in our waiting room. Not knowing where to start, I contacted Serena Bell in the purchasing department to see if she could provide us with some names. Serena was very helpful and passed along two potential vendors, one of which was Daxel Lopez with Sundax Florida, Inc.
I contacted both right away and Daxel was swift in response. I was able to set up a meeting before the other vendor ever made it back to me; I knew that working with Daxel was going to be a great experience! He was able to provide exactly what we were looking for and offered us professional and efficient service.
We are very pleased with Purchasing’s help in locating a vendor, extremely satisfied with the results and recommend Sundax Florida, Inc. to other departments in need of signage and décor,” Hanna Malone
Thanks to Serena Bell and Luis Aviles for involving Diversity in Contracts in a department need. The vendor that Hanna Malone chose happens to be a certified minority-owned business, SUNDAX.
Visit http://www.sundaxflorida.com to learn more about SUNDAX.
Memory College, LLC
Multicultural Academic Support Services (MASS) Director, Wayne Jackson negotiated a contract with Memory College, LLC, a minority-owned business, to offer a memory training program (“The RIGHT STUFF Project”) for students. This program is designed assist students in remembering (learning) course information, improving comprehension of course materials, while significantly raising their grades, and enhancing their self confidence and self esteem. The RIGHT STUFF Project also prepares students to excel on aptitude tests like the GRE, LSAT, etc. and teaches powerful memory systems and techniques that are easily learned, incredibly effective, and fun.
MASS Director Wayne Jackson states,
“The SOAR students seemed very pleased with the Memory College
and learned quite a few techniques that will help them in their classes.”
Dr. Joe Ponds is Memory College’s President, owner, and faculty member. He is highly regarded for his design and development of corporate training programs and materials, and has been teaching memory courses for over 20 years. Some of his clients include the Citrus County School Board, St. Petersburg College, Lake-Sumter Community College, and The Villages Lifelong Learning College to name a few.
Memory College faculty also includes Mr. Jon Keith a memory expert for more than thirty years, who has had a front page story in the New York Times and other newspapers. His students know him as the man who can memorize an entire magazine in one hour. He did this demonstration on National TV talk shows including Live with Regis Philbin, The Howie Mandel Show, and The Early Show (CBS Network).
Visit (www.memorytrainer.com) for more information.
UCF’s Diversity in Contracts thanks the Central Florida African American Chamber of Commerce for the Memory College referral. The referral led to several introductions to other UCF department representatives.
Visit www.memorycollege.com for more information on Memory College.
