Contractors, Suppliers and Vendors
Our Purchasing Philosophy
PlanRVA represents a growing region consisting of an increasingly diverse population. We believe that all Richmond Region residents should have equal access to opportunities and recognize our power to make a difference with our dollars.
PlanRVA is committed to conducting business equitably and more intentionally. One way PlanRVA can help address inequities is by making deliberate choices about the purchases we make. This focus on impact spending involves seeking out and doing business with small vendors and businesses owned by local underrepresented groups to improve the economic health and well-being of the communities we serve. Our commitment will contribute to their success and our community’s economic resilience.
PlanRVA actively works to ensure diversity among our suppliers and inclusion through our procurement and contract activities. We encourage all businesses established or located within the Richmond Region to respond to our solicitations. We pledge to incorporate particular emphasis minority and women-owned small businesses, as well as those operated by Veterans and persons with disabilities in our outreach efforts for purchasing and bids.
Our Commitment
PlanRVA is guided by federal Title VI and Environmental Justice mandates. We strive not only to meet these mandates, but to create processes that are transparent and inclusive overall. We believe that diversity results in a better product and recognize the importance of our role in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion not just in our words but in our actions.
PlanRVA’s inclusive purchasing program is designed to ensure an equity lens throughout the decision making process. It is part of the agency’s broader effort to meet the expectations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, integrating processes and tools to examine how inequities might unintentionally result from our decisions and adjusting our processes to prevent inequitable impacts. We pledge to review our purchasing decisions on an annual basis and adjust as necessary to fulfill our commitment.
Our Process
PlanRVA’s purchasing process is designed to integrate explicit consideration of equity into decisions before they are made and implemented. We comply with the Virginia Public Procurement Act and purchasing requirements of federal and state government organizations that provide grant funding. Our commitment to inclusive purchasing is an additional set of intentional actions we undertake to enhance the intent of the state and federal requirements and are not intended to undermine, supersede, or conflict with those prevailing requirements. Learn More...
