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Building inclusive local supply chains that strengthen communities and economies.Across the country, major employers such as hospitals, universities, and other anchor institutions spend billions each year on goods and services. Yet, too few of those dollars reach local small businesses, particularly those owned by residents of historically underinvested communities.
By aligning procurement practices with local economic goals, jurisdictions can unlock powerful opportunities to keep wealth circulating within their communities, create quality jobs, and strengthen regional supply chains.
Our Approach
Through the Advancing Communities Institute (ACI), we help jurisdictions design and implement strategies that connect anchor institutions with local small businesses.
Our work builds on The Coalition’s DC Community Anchor Partnership (DCAP), a nationally recognized model that demonstrates how targeted supplier development, anchor engagement, and ecosystem coordination can translate institutional spending into local economic opportunity.
ACI applies this model in other jurisdictions, helping partners bridge the gap between anchor demand and local supply. We bring both the technical expertise and the facilitation skills needed to align stakeholders, design sustainable systems, and measure results.
We support jurisdictions in partnering with anchor institutions to assess and refine procurement policies, practices, and spending patterns — ensuring local vendors have meaningful access to institutional contracts.
We provide technical assistance, training, and matchmaking that prepare small businesses to meet procurement requirements, strengthen operations, and compete for anchor contracts.
We analyze procurement and supplier data to identify high-potential local spend categories, establish benchmarks, and track progress over time. Data-driven insights help jurisdictions set priorities and measure impact.
We help communities design, launch, and manage local supplier partnership initiatives including governance structures, stakeholder coordination, performance tracking, and sustainability planning.
The Coalition’s DC Community Anchor Partnership (DCAP) has become a model for inclusive, place-based procurement nationwide. Through DCAP, we have strengthened relationships between anchor institutions and local small businesses, resulting in new contracting opportunities, stronger supply chains, and increased community wealth.
Our team brings this experience and infrastructure to new jurisdictions, customizing strategies that reflect each community’s unique assets, industries, and goals.