In all our operations, we seek to do business with diverse companies and are committed to giving them equal and impartial opportunity. This approach stimulates local economic development and enhances our long-term business performance by improving supplier responsiveness, competition and sustainability.

Our supplier diversity program extends to active participation in organizations that support the development of smaller local businesses in the United States. We are corporate members of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Internally, we recognize supplier diversity through our Supplier Diversity Leadership Awards program, which recognizes individuals, teams and business units who demonstrate superior leadership in promoting global supplier diversity. Winners in 2008 included the ConocoPhillips procurement functions for the Russia and Caspian region and the U.S. Lower 48 production area.

The company is committed to developing supplier diversity worldwide. Currently, each business unit outside the United States has its own program in place. To leverage corporate synergies and provide program consistency, ConocoPhillips is reviewing an expansion of the U.S. program to all of its worldwide businesses. 

Sustainable Procurement Activities
Our global procurement services (GPS) group is contributing to our nine sustainable development commitments through strategic sourcing, inventory management, our Procure to Pay process, our contract system, recycling and reclamation, and improved energy and material efficiency programs. We are developing a GPS sustainable development position that will drive sustainable purchasing; this position will be communicated with internal stakeholders and suppliers. Finally, we are looking at tools to help these groups more easily consider and integrate sustainable development metrics in conducting their purchases and in evaluating our supply chains.