Truist Financial is the seventh-largest commercial bank in the United States, formed in December 2019 from the merger of BB&T and SunTrust Banks. With roughly $500 billion in assets and approximately $25 billion in annual revenue, it operates branches across 17 states plus Washington D.C. The bank spends more than $1 billion annually with diverse suppliers. That spend level puts Truist in the same tier as JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America when it comes to supplier diversity commitment.
If you run a certified diverse business and you serve the financial services sector, Truist is worth pursuing. Here is how the program works and what you need to get in.
What Truist buys from external suppliers
Truist sources across a wide range of categories. The major spend areas include:
Technology: Software licensing, IT infrastructure, cybersecurity services, data analytics, application development, and managed IT services. Financial institutions are heavy technology buyers, and Truist is no exception after integrating two legacy banking systems post-merger.
Professional services: Consulting, legal, accounting, audit, and advisory services. Much of the post-merger integration work created demand in this area.
Marketing and communications: Advertising agencies, creative services, print production, digital marketing, media buying, and events management.
Facilities and real estate: Janitorial, landscaping, construction, renovation, security services, and facilities maintenance across their branch network.
Human resources and staffing: Temporary staffing, recruiting, benefits administration, training and development.
Logistics and supply chain: Office supplies, printing, courier services, document management.
The merger doubled the geographic footprint and the supplier base overnight, which created real opportunities for suppliers in markets where BB&T or SunTrust previously had limited presence.
How to register as a Truist supplier
Truist manages supplier registration through its Supplier Diversity Program portal. To find the registration entry point, navigate to the Truist corporate website (truist.com) and search for "supplier diversity" or look under the About section for Community and Supplier Diversity. The portal will ask you to create a vendor profile.
Be prepared to provide:
- Business legal name and any DBA
- Federal Tax ID (EIN)
- Business address and contact information
- NAICS codes describing your business
- Business size classification (small business, large business)
- Diversity certifications (issuing body, certificate number, expiration date)
- Capability statement or company overview
- Years in business and annual revenue
- References or past client examples
Upload copies of your diversity certifications at registration. Truist's procurement team reviews profiles against active sourcing needs. A complete profile with accurate NAICS codes improves your chances of appearing in searches when a category manager is sourcing your type of work.
Which certifications Truist recognizes
Truist participates in three major third-party certification organizations:
NMSDC (National Minority Supplier Development Council): This is the primary certification for minority-owned businesses. NMSDC-certified MBEs have direct access to Truist through NMSDC's corporate member network. Truist is an active NMSDC corporate member, which means their supplier diversity team attends NMSDC conferences, reviews the MBE database, and participates in regional council matchmaking events.
WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council): WBENC certification is the gold standard for women-owned businesses at the Fortune 500 level. Truist is a WBENC corporate member and uses the WBENC database to source WBEs. If you are a women-owned business, WBENC certification opens more doors at Truist than self-certification alone.
NaVOBA (National Veteran-Owned Business Association): Truist participates in NaVOBA for veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. This certification is less common than NMSDC or WBENC, which means certified veteran-owned businesses face less competition in that pool.
Federal certifications (SDVOSB from the VA, WOSB from the SBA) are recognized and worth listing, but Truist's corporate program prioritizes third-party certifications from the organizations listed above.
How diversity certification affects your chances
Certification matters more at Truist than at companies where supplier diversity is a compliance checkbox. Truist publicly tracks diverse spend as a percentage of total addressable spend and reports it in their ESG and annual corporate responsibility disclosures. When procurement teams are sourcing, they flag certified diverse suppliers for consideration specifically to hit those targets.
That said, certification alone does not win you business. Truist's category managers still evaluate price, quality, capacity, and risk. A certified MBE that cannot serve the volume Truist requires will not advance past first conversations. The certification gets you into the consideration set. Your capabilities close the deal.
If your business is not yet certified, applying before you pursue Truist is worth the lead time. NMSDC regional council certifications typically take 60 to 90 days. WBENC certification runs a similar timeline. You can begin registration without certification, but your profile will be less visible in sourcing searches.
Who handles supplier diversity at Truist
The function sits within Truist's procurement and strategic sourcing organization. The relevant role title is Supplier Diversity Manager or Director of Supplier Diversity. This team manages the program, tracks spend metrics, and serves as the internal advocate to get diverse suppliers introduced to category managers.
Do not try to sell directly to the Supplier Diversity team. They do not issue purchase orders. Their job is to connect you with the right category manager. When you reach out, treat the Supplier Diversity team as a navigator, not a buyer.
Supplier development programs and events
Truist participates in matchmaking events hosted by NMSDC regional councils and WBENC regional partner organizations. These events put registered suppliers in short scheduled meetings with Truist procurement staff. Show up prepared with a one-page capability summary and specific examples of work you have done for comparable clients.
Truist has also participated in the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) programs and NMSDC's Business Consortium Fund, which provides financing to NMSDC-certified MBEs. If capital is a constraint for taking on a larger engagement, that fund is worth investigating.
Watch for Truist's annual supplier diversity events, which are often promoted through NMSDC and WBENC chapter communications. Getting on those organization mailing lists is the most reliable way to hear about Truist-specific opportunities before they are publicly announced.
Getting your first order
The path from registration to first purchase order at a bank like Truist follows a predictable sequence. Register and get your profile complete. Attend at least one NMSDC or WBENC matchmaking event where Truist is present. Follow up with the Supplier Diversity team to confirm your profile is active and ask if there are any open needs in your category. Build the relationship before a sourcing event happens, not after.
Truist category managers tend to return to suppliers who performed well on smaller engagements. A $20,000 pilot project with clean delivery is more valuable to your long-term position than a proposal for a $2 million contract you cannot staff. Start where you can win, deliver, and ask for a reference.
The merger integration years generated atypical spend patterns that have since normalized. The current opportunity is less about one-time project work and more about becoming a preferred or approved vendor in a specific category. That status, once earned, is sticky at institutions this size.
