The Journal

Reporting on supplier diversity.

Working coverage of certifications, corporate procurement, federal contracting, financing, and the operators making each work for diverse-owned businesses. Every piece checked against primary sources.

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Guide

Guide · 7 min

How corporations write supplier diversity annual reports: structure and disclosures

Fortune 500 supplier diversity reports follow a predictable structure. Here is what goes into them, what institutional investors and advocacy groups scrutinize, …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Supplier diversity spend tracking tools: options for procurement teams managing Tier-1 data

Federal subcontracting plans require certified spend data at ISR/SSR time. Here is how procurement teams at primes and agencies are actually capturing, …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Economic impact framing for supplier diversity: replacing DEI language in 2026

The DEI rollback didn't eliminate the business case for small and diverse suppliers. It changed the vocabulary. Here's how procurement teams are …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Mentor-protégé versus teaming agreements: when to use each for federal bids

Both arrangements let a prime partner with a small business on federal work, but they operate under different rules, carry different risks, …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Finding SDVOSB subcontractors: directories, verification, and common mistakes

Since January 2023, SDVOSB self-certification is gone. Here is exactly where to find verified veteran-owned subcontractors and how to confirm their status …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

How to find WOSB subcontractors for federal projects and corporate supply chains

WOSB certification has two tracks — self-certified and third-party — and the distinction matters when you're documenting subcontracting goals. Here's where to …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Individual subcontracting plan requirements: what to include and how to set goals

An individual subcontracting plan is contract-specific and legally binding. Get the 10 required elements wrong or miss a reporting deadline and you …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

ISR and SSR reporting for federal subcontracting plans: a step-by-step guide

If your contract carries a subcontracting plan, you file an Individual Subcontract Report twice a year and a Summary Subcontract Report once. …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

When prime contractors can use a joint venture to meet small business requirements

A joint venture with a qualifying small business can win a small business set-aside, but the rules are stricter than most BD …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Subcontracting flow-down clauses: what primes must include in their sub agreements

When your prime contract includes a subcontracting plan, the government expects those obligations to travel down the supply chain. Here is exactly …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Small business subcontracting goals: what agencies expect and what other primes report

Federal agencies set wildly different small business subcontracting goals, and what satisfies a DoD contracting officer will get you flagged at DHS. …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Good-faith efforts in small business subcontracting: what protects primes from LD exposure

Missing a small business subcontracting goal can trigger liquidated damages. What actually constitutes good-faith effort under FAR 52.219-9, and how do you …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Subcontracting disputes on federal projects: when primes and subs disagree

Federal subcontracts sit in a legal gray zone where commercial dispute norms often don't apply. Knowing the specific tools available — and …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Subcontractor outreach plans for federal bids: what COs actually want to see

Most subcontracting plans fail not because the prime didn't try, but because they can't prove it. Here's what contracting officers actually scrutinize.

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Tier-2 supplier diversity reporting: what corporations ask and how primes comply

Toyota, Ford, and P&G don't just want you to certify your own diversity status. They want to know who your suppliers are. …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Subcontracting plan compliance: what the SBA audits and how to stay in good standing

Approved subcontracting plans carry legal obligations enforced by SBA Commercial Market Representatives. Non-compliance can trigger liquidated damages under FAR 52.219-16 or contract …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Commercial subcontracting plans: when prime contractors use them and how they differ

Some large prime contractors negotiate a single commercial subcontracting plan that covers their entire government business rather than writing a new plan …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Supplier development programs for diverse businesses: how corporations structure them

Spend tracking is table stakes. The corporations actually moving the needle on diverse supplier growth run structured development programs with mentoring cohorts, …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Measuring the ROI of corporate supplier diversity programs: what the data says

Procurement leaders are under pressure to justify diverse supplier programs in dollar terms. The data exists — but you have to know …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

FAR Part 19: what prime contractors must do for small business subcontracting

A contract over $750K with a federal agency triggers mandatory small business subcontracting obligations under FAR Subpart 19.7. Most prime contractors know …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

How prime contractors find qualified HUBZone subcontractors for their projects

HUBZone is the hardest set-aside category to fill on a subcontracting plan. Here's where qualified firms actually are and how to verify …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

HUBZone price preference in full-and-open competitions: how the 10% works

When a HUBZone firm competes in a full-and-open competition, the contracting officer adds 10% to every non-HUBZone bid before making the award …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Mentor-protégé programs for large prime contractors: what you get and what you commit to

Mentor-protégé programs give large prime contractors a direct path to joint venture eligibility with small businesses and credit toward subcontracting goals. The …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Launching a corporate supplier diversity program: a checklist for procurement teams

If you've been handed the task of standing up a supplier diversity program, this checklist covers what actually matters in year one …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

State-level set-aside programs for diverse contractors: how they differ from federal

Federal set-aside rules get most of the attention, but state programs carry real teeth on transportation, construction, and publicly funded contracts. The …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

The Small Business Liaison Officer (SBLO): role, responsibilities, and how to staff it

If your company holds a contract with a subcontracting plan, you are required by FAR 52.219-9 to designate a Small Business Liaison …

Dec 19, 2025 · Mario Bailey

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