Aflac is one of the largest supplemental insurance companies in the United States, generating over $22 billion in annual revenue and operating out of Columbus, Georgia. The company runs a formal supplier diversity program and holds active memberships with NMSDC and WBENC. That combination signals a program with real infrastructure, not a checkbox effort.
If your business holds an MBE, WBE, SDVOSB, or similar certification, Aflac is worth a serious look. The spend categories are well-defined, the registration path is documented, and the company attends enough industry events to make in-person contact realistic.
Aflac's supplier diversity program
Aflac frames its supplier diversity initiative as part of its broader corporate social responsibility commitment. The program is coordinated through the company's Procurement and Sourcing division and operates under the name Aflac Supplier Diversity Program.
Aflac publicly states a commitment to increasing spend with diverse-owned businesses, though the company does not publish a specific annual spend target in the way that some Fortune 100 firms do. What they do publish is NMSDC and WBENC membership, which means they report spend data to those councils and are held to accountability standards those bodies set.
The program spans Tier 1 (direct contracts with Aflac) and Tier 2 (subcontracting spend tracked through prime suppliers). If you're a smaller firm that isn't ready to contract directly with a $22B insurer, entering through a Tier 1 prime as a subcontractor is a legitimate entry point.
Certifications Aflac recognizes
Aflac's program recognizes the standard set of third-party certifications that corporate supplier diversity programs track. These include:
- MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) certified by an NMSDC affiliate regional council
- WBE (Women's Business Enterprise) certified by a WBENC affiliate regional organization
- WOSB/EDWOSB (Women-Owned Small Business) certified through SBA
- SDVOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business) certified through VA or SBA
- VOSB (Veteran-Owned Small Business)
- SBE (Small Business Enterprise) and DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in applicable contexts
- LGBTBE certified through NGLCC
- DOBE (Disability-Owned Business Enterprise) certified through Disability:IN
The NMSDC and WBENC certifications carry the most weight for Aflac's Tier 1 spend. If you don't yet hold one of those, the SBA federal certifications (WOSB, SDVOSB) are a reasonable starting point while you pursue NMSDC or WBENC certification in parallel. Aflac is based in the Southeast, so the Georgia NMSDC affiliate — Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) — is the regional council most aligned with their sourcing team's relationships.
Where and how to register
Aflac's primary supplier registration is handled through Coupa Supplier Portal. Coupa is the procurement platform Aflac uses to manage vendor relationships, RFPs, and purchase orders.
Steps to register:
- Go to supplier.coupahost.com and create a free Coupa Supplier Portal (CSP) account if you don't already have one.
- Search for Aflac within the portal and request to join their supplier network.
- Complete the supplier profile in full. Upload your diversity certification documents directly in the portal. Incomplete profiles are deprioritized during sourcing events.
- In the diversity section, select every certification your business holds and input the certification number and expiration date.
Outside of Coupa, you can also submit an expression of interest directly through Aflac's corporate website. The Procurement team maintains a supplier diversity contact email for outreach. Searching "Aflac supplier diversity" on their corporate site (aflac.com) will surface the current contact information. Corporate contact details change; verify the current address before sending.
Do not skip the Coupa registration in favor of only emailing the procurement contact. Sourcing events and RFPs are distributed through the portal. Email-only outreach rarely converts to a contract.
What Aflac buys from diverse suppliers
Aflac's marketing spend is the most visible category. The Aflac Duck campaign is one of the most recognized advertising properties in insurance, and the production, media buying, event marketing, and promotional materials that support it involve significant external vendor spend. Marketing services suppliers — agencies, video production, print, digital media, event management — have historically been active in Aflac's diverse supplier mix.
Other documented spend categories include:
Information Technology: Software development, IT staffing, cybersecurity services, infrastructure support, and data analytics. Aflac operates a large technology footprint supporting policyholder administration and claims processing across the U.S. and Japan.
Professional Services: Management consulting, legal services, accounting and audit support, HR services, and training and development. Firms with financial services or insurance-sector experience have an edge here.
Facilities and Corporate Services: Janitorial, landscaping, construction management, and property-related services for Aflac's Columbus campus and field offices.
Print and Fulfillment: Document printing, direct mail, fulfillment services tied to policyholder communications.
If your business falls into marketing, IT, or professional services and you hold an MBE or WBE certification, those are the three categories where your pitch has the clearest fit.
Industry events where Aflac participates
Aflac's procurement and supplier diversity team shows up at NMSDC and WBENC events with some regularity. The annual NMSDC Conference and Business Opportunity Exchange (held each October) is the single highest-value event for getting a face-to-face meeting with Aflac's sourcing team. WBENC's National Conference and Business Fair (held each June) is the equivalent on the women's side.
The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) hosts local matchmaking events and networking sessions in the Atlanta/Columbus market. Because Aflac is headquartered in Columbus, GMSDC events carry outsized value relative to national conferences. If you're an NMSDC-certified MBE, joining GMSDC and attending their events is the fastest path to getting in front of Aflac procurement staff in an informal setting.
Disability:IN hosts an annual conference where Aflac has participated given their focus on disability insurance products. If you hold a DOBE certification, this is a natural overlap.
For meeting requests at events, come prepared with a one-page capability statement, not a pitch deck. It should include your NAICS codes, certification type and number, three relevant client references (ideally from financial services or insurance companies), and a specific service you're pitching. Aflac's sourcing team is not generalist; they show up to events looking for specific category fits.
Realistic timeline and first steps
Getting from "I want to work with Aflac" to a signed contract takes time. Here's an honest timeline:
Month 1: Register in Coupa, upload certifications, complete the full supplier profile. If you don't yet have an NMSDC or WBENC certification and plan to pursue one, start that application now. NMSDC certification through a regional council typically takes 60 to 90 days.
Month 2-3: Identify the GMSDC or WBENC regional affiliate in your area and attend one in-person event. Make contact with Aflac sourcing staff. Ask directly which categories have upcoming sourcing events or RFPs.
Month 4-6: Follow up on any RFP invitations from the portal. Respond to every sourcing event you're eligible for, even if the contract is smaller than your target. First contracts with major corporates tend to be test engagements. Performing on a $25,000 print or staffing contract opens the door to $250,000 renewals.
Year 1: If you haven't received an RFP by month 9, request a capability briefing through the procurement team directly. A 20-minute virtual call where you walk through your capabilities and ask the sourcing team to identify gaps between your offering and their needs is a legitimate and often productive tactic.
Aflac is not a fast-close account. The company runs structured procurement cycles, and contract decisions are committee-reviewed, not single-buyer-approved. The realistic timeline from first registration to first purchase order is 6 to 18 months for a new supplier with no prior Aflac relationship.
The short version
Register in Coupa with complete certification documentation. Target marketing, IT, or professional services categories. Join GMSDC if you're MBE-certified and based in the Southeast. Show up at the NMSDC October conference with a sharp capability statement. Follow up on every RFP. The program is real, the spend is real, and Aflac's NMSDC and WBENC memberships mean they're held to actual accountability on diverse spend goals. The path is straightforward; the timeline just requires patience.
