Organizations are Winning RFPs due to DEI Efforts

Organizations are quickly learning that their DEI efforts can have a strong financial impact. I worked with an organization by creating their DEI roadmap strategies, policy’s, programs and more. This organization put funding and accountability measures in place to ensure they executed their goals. They put people first within their organization. The following year, the organization ended up getting awarded a $7.8 million multi-year contract. The government agency that managed the contract specifically mentioned their DEI efforts as a critical factor for the win!

Many of these financial opportunities come in the form of an RFP, or Request for Proposal. An RFP is a proposal for a project and solicits bids from contractors to complete it. Having a strong focus on equity and inclusion has been proven to play a significant part in making organizations more attractive candidates for investments. It can also help distinguish them from other similar organizations. RFPs are now requesting DEI details as part of the proposal and want to know how it will be embedded into the project’s implementation.?

Here are some steps organizations can take to become RFP ready:

• Create a DEI roadmap that includes policies, practices, and educational programming. In order to discuss DEI efforts, there need to be DEI efforts to discuss. If the organization does not have a DEI strategy, then that’s exactly where it will need to start.

• Be prepared to answer diversity questions by collecting the data ahead of time, so it is ready to share. Consolidate metrics around DEI efforts and the different policies or programs the organization has implemented, alongside the quantifiable impact of each of these initiatives.?

• Undergo a diversity audit so these metrics can be gathered and corroborated by a third-party. A diversity audit could include pay equity, supplier diversity, or promotional practices.?

For more tips on understanding and preparing for RFPs, pre-order my book, The Inclusive Organization.?

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AUTHOR BIO: NETTA JENKINS

Netta Jenkins is a doctoral student and leading voice in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, Anti-Racism field whose soaring 250k+ LinkedIn audience engagement was doubtless a key factor in Forbes naming her as one of the?top 7 anti-racism consultants?in the world. This led to her ground-breaking TEDx talk "Reimagining the Workplace".

Currently, Netta is Vice President of Global Inclusion for Unqork, a technology organization and is an advisory board member for Betterment, an online investment company. Prior to Unqork, Netta created and executed strategy for five years as Vice President, Global Inclusion for IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IAC) tech and media brands with her research data driven knowledge. Netta is working with Marc Lore, former CEO, Walmart and NBA Owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, to build the most inclusive city in America,?Telosa. A new city in the US hasn’t been built in over 100 years.?

An acclaimed author with a transformational book released and published by Wiley titled “The Inclusive Organization” that?is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Netta has a deep background in communications, leadership, and behavioral psychology.?

Netta has been advising corporations and audiences of all kinds for over 15 years on the most effective strategies to address organizational gaps in the workplace through?Holistic Inclusion Consulting. As a result, she was listed as 2020 Linkedin top voice and has won multiple awards for her impact on corporate and startup diversity.