Highmark Wholecare’s Procurement Department develops and executes sourcing strategies to facilitate the procuring of supplier (vendor) related services and products. We are the liaison between our Legal and Compliance departments and our Internal Business Partners to ensure that Highmark Wholecare receives the best value and mitigates risk for services and goods procured. The sourcing strategies we develop and execute build successful partnerships with our suppliers and align all internal business units with Highmark Wholecare’s goals and objectives.
From supplier strategy development to contract negotiations and e-purchasing solutions, we take the lead on the entire supplier onboarding process. Our team helps departments using federal contracts and grants, and the entire organization, maintain compliance with all contracting and purchasing regulations.
Our procurement team will contact our suppliers when a need for a product or service has been identified. We work with our internal business partners to develop the scope and determine what problem we are trying to solve. When it is determined that a supplier would best address the needs of our members, we work with those supplier partners to develop solutions that exceed expectations.
*Please note we work with our affiliate organization, Highmark, to find and identify synergies and opportunities for efficiency when selecting suppliers to work with Highmark Wholecare.
As we strive to consistently increase utilization of small businesses and other diverse business enterprises, we are committed to continuing our search for competent business partners who excel in their field, can meet our business needs and help us enhance our process.
Our supplier diversity program, coordinated through the Procurement Department, enables us to promote business opportunities for diverse suppliers in the communities we serve, which include business that are:
The supplier diversity program is an important part of our sourcing efforts. This program helps us to:
We maintain memberships in organizations that support the growth and development of minority and women-led businesses and participate in networking, outreach and national conferences, to continually identify potential partners.
If you would like to participate in our supplier diversity program, your business must be a verified self-certified or certified small business, minority, woman-owned, veteran owned or disadvantaged business enterprise. Certifications for each type of classification typically requires the following:
Small Business*
Defined in terms of the number of employees over the past year or average annual receipts over the past three years. Size standards vary by industry.
*Note: Contact Small Business Administration for more information on Small and Disadvantaged Businesses at sba.gov
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
At least 51% owned, controlled, and operated by one or more persons who are U.S. citizens and are:
Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE)
At least 51% owned, controlled and operated by a woman or women who are U.S. citizens.
Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB)
Located in the U.S. that is at least 51% owned, operated, controlled and managed by one or more veterans who are U.S. citizens.
Service Disability Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
Located in the U.S. that is at least 51% owned, operated, controlled and managed by one or more veterans who are U.S. citizens. The Service Disabled Veteran (SDV) must have a service-connected disability that has been determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs or Department of Defense.
HUBZone
A small business that is 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, with its principal office and at least 35% of its employees residing in a HUBZone for at least 180 days.
Diverse supplier certification
We accept certifications from the following organizations:
Are you a diverse supplier interested in working with Highmark Wholecare? Register with your company’s information and a member from our procurement team will be in touch when a potential business opportunity aligns with your capabilities and experience. We look forward to hearing from you!
PA Department of General Services’ Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion & Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO)
The PA Department of General Services’ Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion & Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO) is responsible for assisting small and diverse businesses, including Minority Business Enterprises, Women Business Enterprises, Veteran Business Enterprises, Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises, Disability-Owned Business Enterprises, and LGBT Business Enterprises in competing for Commonwealth contracting opportunities.
The BDISBO, through the Verification Program, verifies self-certified small businesses as Small Diverse Businesses (SDBs) when they hold certifications from the above mentioned third-party entities.
For complete details on how to become a Small or Small Diverse Business or to participate in the PA Department of General Services (BDISBO) programs, visit the PA DGS Small Business Contracting Program and Small Diverse Business Program pages.
Products and services
We have partnership opportunities for diverse suppliers in the following areas, including, but not limited to:
Our supplier diversity program also encourages its suppliers (first tier) to use diverse suppliers (second tier). First-tier contracts are between our company and the supplier. Second-tier contracts are between the first-tier supplier and its subcontractor(s). It is the first-tier supplier's obligation to determine if its subcontractors are diverse suppliers and to use diverse suppliers whenever possible.
First-tier suppliers must submit a quarterly second-tier diverse spend report within ten business days after each quarter's end.
Please email supplierdiversity@HighmarkWholecare.com for the second-tier diversity spend report template or if you have questions about our supplier diversity program.
Please send all invoices to Highmark Wholecare's Accounts Payable department at accountspayable@HighmarkWholecare.com
Please contact us at procurement@HighmarkWholecare.com
We have implemented a new supplier web-based registration process for our diverse suppliers. Online registration and approval are required to be considered a potential bidding diverse supplier. Company profiles will be stored in a database for easy access by authorized personnel at all locations.
Those businesses that are certified by an approved agency as at least 51 percent owned, managed and controlled by a United States citizen who is a member of one of the following groups:
Only diverse suppliers are required to register within the diverse supplier registration portal.
To be recognized as part of the Highmark Wholecare Supplier Diversity Initiative, minority- and/or woman-owned businesses must be certified by an approved agency, such as, but not limited to, the National Minority Suppliers Development Council (NMSDC) and the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). However, certification is not a condition of doing business with us. We encourage all diverse suppliers to become registered and members of these national organizations.
Certification means that your company has documentation from a third party agency verifying that it is at least 51 percent owned and operated by a U.S. citizen from the diverse classifications listed above. (For a list of recommended agencies see the Supplier Diversity Program section). Registration is the act of completing your profile in our database.
Increased opportunity to do business with us on an equal basis, as we actively seek to increase the amount of business with certified supplier diversity businesses. Being certified with approved organizations allows diverse suppliers to be identified as such, which ensures greater potential to be used by companies with active initiatives targeting diverse businesses.
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is used to categorize what type of service/product a supplier provides
A third-party provider, CVM Solutions, manages our database of diverse suppliers so that their information is available and we can quickly identify qualified suppliers for opportunities.
After submitting your registration, you will receive a confirmation screen informing you that your registration has been received by us. If any additional information is required, you will be contacted.
o You will receive an email once your registration is complete. When a bidding opportunity arises that matches your company's qualifications, the information you input in the database will be passed on to the appropriate buyer. If your company meets the buyers' needs, you will be contacted for further questions or to be invited to bid.
No. Registration is required for all contracted suppliers. However, completing the registration process does not guarantee that your company will receive a request to bid and/or a contract from us nor does it imply that your company has any type of procurement relationship with us either now or in the future. Registering provides us with your company's vital information so we can match your company to potential opportunities. You will be contacted if an opportunity becomes available that matches your company's product and/or service offering.
Contact us via email at supplierdiversity@HighmarkWholecare.com
