Diversity & Inclusion

AT&T Spends $15.5 Billion with Diverse Suppliers in 2013

Apr 18, 2014 10:05 AM ET

Dallas, Texas, April 18, 2014 /3BL Media/ - AT&T* spent $15.5 billion in 2013, or 28 percent of its total spend, with certified diverse suppliers – the highest percentage the company has ever achieved through its supplier diversity program. In 2012, AT&T spent $12.8 billion with diverse suppliers.

“Supplier diversity is key to our overall success, and we take pride in being a leader in this area,” said Tim Harden, AT&T Supply Chain president. “Diverse suppliers are an integral part of our supply chain, as evidenced by achieving our largest-ever diversity spend in 2013. They bring valuable perspective to the table, and that benefits everyone – our customers, the community and our company.”

AT&T’s Global Supplier Diversity organization gives certified diverse businesses worldwide an opportunity to provide the company with products and services. AT&T Supplier Diversity promotes participation and helps bring more minority, women and service-disabled veteran owned businesses to its supply chain.

AT&T continues to look for diverse suppliers in key strategic areas like mobile Internet, wireless, U-verse and cloud services. AT&T is now innovating at a faster pace to continue delivering superior service. That means working with suppliers who can take AT&T to the next level. 

AT&T has a number of programs in place to identify and develop certified diverse suppliers. One of them is Operation Hand Salute, a national education and mentoring program for service-disabled veteran business owners. The initiative provides advanced training and mentoring for up to 15 qualified business owners – with the goal of improving their business operations and their ability to win corporate contracts.

Earlier this year, AT&T was ranked No. 1 DiversityBusiness.com’s Top 50 Companies for Multicultural Business Opportunities list. The company was also listed to the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council list of top corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises for the 15th year in a row.

To learn more about the AT&T Global Supplier Diversity organization, please visit www.attsupplierdiversity.com.