Diversity reporting is
a data capture problem
Almost every difficulty with supplier diversity reporting traces back to the same thing: the classification was never recorded when the supplier was onboarded, so somebody is inferring it afterwards from a company name.
Numbers nobody can trace
A reported figure that cannot be broken down to individual suppliers with documentation behind them is difficult to defend and easy to dismiss.
Classification comes from the supplier
The supplier states their own classification and attaches the documentation, which is both more accurate and considerably easier to stand behind than inference.
Reporting stops being a research project
When every supplier already carries their classification and period, producing a report is filtering and totalling rather than reconstructing.
Certification lapses are visible
A classification supported by a certificate that expired last year is a reporting problem waiting to happen, and expiry is tracked like any other document.
Only the second approach is repeatable
The difference is entirely about when the information was captured.
Inferred at reporting time
Supplier names are matched against lists and directories months after onboarding, which is slow, partly accurate and impossible to verify properly.
Stated during onboarding
The supplier answers the question themselves and attaches supporting documentation as part of the questionnaire.
A number without backing
The total exists but the documentation behind each classification is somewhere else, or nowhere, which makes any challenge awkward.
Attached to the supplier
Certification documents sit on the supplier record alongside the classification they support.
Correct when captured
A certification that has since expired still counts in the report because nothing was tracking the date.
Tracked to expiry
The supporting document carries its expiry like any other, and renewal is requested before it lapses.
Discovered at period close
Whether you met a commitment becomes clear once the period ends, at which point nothing can be done about a shortfall.
Visible throughout
Committed against actual is visible during the period, so a gap can be addressed through sourcing decisions.
Moments a procurement team will recognise
A supplier is onboarded
Classification and documentation captured then, by the party who actually knows.
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Mid period review
The gap against commitment is visible while there is still time to act on it.
Learn moreA reported figure is questioned
Broken down to individual suppliers with their documentation attached.
Learn moreA certification expires
Tracked like any other document, with renewal requested before it lapses.
Learn more