Case Study: Virginia Tech University achieves faster supplier diversity and enriched vendor data with TealBook

Championing Diversity in the Higher Education Procurement Space

Virginia Tech University faced a persistent “we’ve always done business with” mindset that made it difficult to find and vet diverse suppliers and to meet federal, state, and university diversity targets. Mary Helmick, Director of Procurement, needed a supplier management solution to enrich the vendor master and surface certified diverse vendors; her team was introduced to TealBook and its supplier data platform as a potential solution.

TealBook delivered a tailored demo and data-enrichment implementation that quickly matched 70% of Virginia Tech’s suppliers to real-time diversity certifications and key firmographics, while the contract was finalized in under two months and passed IT security review. As a result, TealBook enabled the procurement team to supply diverse options to campus units (notably the College of Engineering), prompt existing vendors to pursue state certification, and give Virginia Tech a more confident, searchable vendor master and measurable progress toward diversity goals.

Virginia Tech University

Mary Helmick

Director of Procurement