B2Gnow: Supporting Supplier Diversity Program Facilitation

Federal, state, and local governments in the United States have always been the strongest force behind supplier diversity programs, and they continue to be the largest drivers of minority, women, veteran, and small businesses. However, supplier diversity programs can be confusing and intimidating to both government staff and vendors. To meet compliance requirements, one must track, report and visualize diverse spend data from increasingly varied and wide-ranging sources. Handling the reporting process manually relative to current requirements is practically impossible, error-prone and expensive. “There are many challenges that government agencies face but the most critical one islimited resources and unfunded mandates. Governments rarely have enough staff, time, money, and technology to digitize and eliminate inefficient paper-based processes. We continue to find organizations that are still collecting spend data on paper forms. But we are solving that challenge,” says Justin Talbot-Stern, CEO of B2Gnow. The company provides software which allows government organizations of all sizes to streamline and improve the effectiveness of their supplier diversity programs.

B2Gnow’s turn-key, hosted SaaS software solution removes the paper from the equation by automating data-gathering, tracking, reporting, vendor management, and administrative processes. Due to its unmatched staff expertise with all types of diversity programs and unparalleled technology at a cost-effective price, the company and its software enables the government customers to focus on meeting diversity goals and not on tedious manual processes. The company supports all types of governments, including cities, counties, states, airports, transit authorities, certification agencies, housing authorities, schools, universities, utilities, port authorities, and more. “We can save your organization 60 percent to 80 percent of the time spent on administrative and clerical compliance activities while enhancing the impact and reach of your program,” adds Talbot-Stern.

B2Gnow is offered as a unique and cost-effective modular solution. With over twenty modules, B2Gnow can structure a combination of services to specifically address the unique needs of each client. Each module is highly configurable, allowing B2Gnow to further adjust the software to a client’s needs without costly custom development. This modular approach also extends to a pricing model where clients only pay for the modules they need.

The company’s comprehensive solution helps U.S. DOT funded recipients (state DOTs, transit authorities, and airports) comply with all aspects of 49 CFR Part 26 (DBE) and Part 23 (ACDBE) regulations, including generating the Uniform Reports, monitoring up to ten tiers of subcontractors, tracking prompt payment, and facilitating compliance on large and small projects.

Organizations can simultaneously track state and locally funded contracts so that all types of utilization – DBE, MBE, WBE, SBE, DVBE, etc. – are captured. Certification agencies can streamline the application process for diverse firms and optimize their internal certification review. The Outreach and Events module ensures the vendor community is fully aware of upcoming procurement opportunities, networking events, and educational programs. Other modules assist agencies with online vendor registration and pre-qualification, workforce tracking, contract-specific goal setting, subcontractor utilization plans, on-the-job training reporting, tier 2 spend reporting, sales reporting, and more. “Our software is designed to streamline and automate processes for these programs. You can track billions of dollars automatically while the system takes care of the administrative workload. The impact on an organization’s efficiency cannot be overstated, and this has driven customer satisfaction and a nearly 100 percent renewal rate over the past 20 years,” states Frank Begalke, COO of B2Gnow.

Currently, B2Gnow is working with 250 clients across the U.S. with over $1.3 trillion in monitored contracts. Every system provides best-practice examples that have been adopted by other organizations and the positive impact of B2Gnow resonates across the country. One agency needed to monitor compliance on a multi-billion dollar project with 600 subcontractors spread over five tiers. Multi-layered federal, state, and local reporting requirements created a massive challenge for the organization. B2Gnow transitioned the agency in just three months to a 100 percent online reporting process, eliminating hardcopy and emailed documentation, reducing reporting time, and bringing them into compliance across the board.

Utilizing its 20 years of experience and success, B2Gnow will continue to deliver exceptional service and solutions well into the future. The company engages continuously with customers to identify trends in the diversity marketplace and build solutions to address these changes.

Company
B2Gnow

Management
Justin Talbot-Stern, CEO and Frank Begalke, COO

Description
Provides software that allows governments of all sizes to streamline and improve the effectiveness of their supplier diversity and vendor management programs

B2Gnow News

B2Gnow Announces DBE Compliance Package for Small to Mid-Size Transportation Organizations

PHOENIX-- B2Gnow, a leader in supplier diversity, procurement, and grant management solutions for governments, contractors, and corporations, announces DBE Direct - a new, cost-effective package option designed to assist small to mid-size US transportation organizations (transits and airports) automate the process of project data collection, compliance, and reporting on the utilization of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs), as required by 49 CFR Part 26.

B2Gnow Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Kelly explains, "Complying with these requirements can be challenging for smaller transit and airport authorities due to simple spreadsheet use, manual processes, limited resources, and the impending changes outlined in the USDOT's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking related to the DBE program. New funding opportunities, such as the 2022 Infrastructure Bill, have opened the door to billions of dollars in federal grants but have also increased the need for more efficient processes."

"The B2Gnow enterprise system delivers a host of solutions that bring efficiency and compliance to the entire DBE environment. However, for small to mid-size organizations with lower contract and project counts, smaller total dollar spend, and a limited number of available DBEs, especially in more rural locations, the DBE Direct program offers these agencies a simple suite of solutions to meet their requirements and allow them to scale as necessary," added Mr. Kelly.

B2Gnow is a highly relied-upon system by more than 100 recipients, certifying agencies, and Unified Certification Programs for various DBE program activities, including spend tracking, reporting, and certification management. It stands out as the most extensively used system for monitoring DBE programs and boasts the largest user base among compliance systems in the United States.

To gain further insights into DBE Direct and its functionalities, interested individuals can get in touch with B2Gnow directly. Additionally, there's an opportunity to participate in an upcoming webinar called "Introducing DBE Direct: Cost-Effective DBE Compliance Made Simple For Small to Mid-Size Airports and Transits." The webinar is scheduled for August 23, 2023, at 2:00 pm Eastern time, and you can register for it on the platform.

B2Gnow Supports Construction Inclusion Week and Offers Perspectives on Supplier Diversity Initiatives

PHOENIX - B2Gnow, a leader in supplier diversity, procurement, and grant management solutions for governments, general contractors, and civil engineering firms, is celebrating Construction Inclusion Week, Oct. 16-20, 2023. In support, the company will host a Webinar at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time on October 18, focused on upcoming Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program changes and related supplier diversity strategies that construction companies can implement to become more compliant and competitive while contributing to advancing equitable sourcing.

B2Gnow Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Kelly explains, "B2Gnow is proud to offer a webinar, in alignment with Construction Inclusion Week, that provides construction leaders with insight to better meet regulatory requirements, increase competitive advantage, and create lasting impact in communities where their projects are located. Besides promoting inclusivity and helping clients fulfill their diversity requirements, supplier diversity initiatives enable construction companies to comply with evolving social responsibility and procurement standards by aligning with their client's goals for diverse and inclusive supply chains."

Utilized by over 400 organizations across North America, the cloud-based software provided by B2Gnow plays a critical role in assisting some of the nation's largest construction companies. It simplifies the process of identifying and engaging certified small and diverse vendors, ensuring compliance, increasing the chances of winning bids, optimizing and monitoring the utilization of small and diverse businesses, and effectively managing and verifying subcontractor payment data. Furthermore, it facilitates easy sharing of this data with project owners.

We invite you to register for B2Gnow's upcoming webinar, titled "How to Prepare Your Construction Organization for the Upcoming Changes to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program." The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.