“In one word—perseverance!” says Jen Faigel, CEO of CommonWealth Kitchen, when asked about the key to working with universities. Her company’s journey to get locally-sourced pizza sauce into one university’s dining halls illustrates both the challenges and possibilities of responsible procurement in higher education.
Faigel discovered that breaking through what she calls the “procuriarchy” required finding champions within the institution’s dining and sustainability teams who understood why local, sustainable, and diverse food options mattered.
Jen Faigel (second from the right)
But even with university buy-in, she faced the reality that large food service companies have “a host of policies and procedures and approved vendors that are all set by people at a regional or national level.” The breakthrough came when CommonWealth Kitchen identified a specific need—100% Massachusetts-grown pizza sauce that students wanted and the food service company couldn’t source elsewhere.
This story of persistence and strategic problem-solving was just one of many shared at the recent 4th Annual Symposium on Responsible Procurement in Higher Education. 169 small business owners, community leaders, and procurement professionals gathered to tackle one of higher education’s challenges: creating more equitable and sustainable supply chains.
The Reality of Structural Barriers
Symposium speakers didn’t shy away from hard truths about the procurement landscape. Suppliers described the university purchasing process as “like a relay race with no coach and everyone has ADD.” The obstacles are both financial and administrative: hefty insurance requirements, lengthy payment cycles, and multiple intermediaries standing between suppliers and actual buyers.
Technology gaps compound these challenges, forcing small suppliers to master numerous electronic billing systems while competing on project scales that often exceed their capacity. As one speaker noted, while most colleges and universities use a common application for prospective students, “every institution has its own procurement rules and policies.”
What Institutions Can Do
Despite these operational challenges, a panel of procurement professionals from several sectors explained how they are finding creative ways to support small local suppliers. One university’s “cupcake retainer” program, for example, pre-paid a small bakery owner who has since dramatically expanded her business. Another institution replaced chain restaurants with local start-up companies that achieved profitability in their first year.
Payment innovation also emerged as a critical lever for change. Forward-thinking institutions are implementing accelerated payment schedules designed to help small businesses manage cash flow.
Expanding the supplier pool to include more small, local businesses requires a shift to what one panelist called a “holistic value assessment.” This means considering customer service, community impact, speed, and quality alongside price. It also can mean breaking large projects into smaller opportunities. The message was clear: structural change requires intentional policy adjustments, not just good intentions.
What Small, Local Business Can Do
A major source of inspiration at the symposium were the success stories shared by seven small business owners. They all emphasized the importance of understanding institutional needs – doing the homework — and positioning their offerings as solutions to specific problems.
Relationships matter. Several panelists highlighted the value of building relationships with multiple stakeholders across campus—from sustainability coordinators to dining services managers—who can advocate internally. Most importantly, they stressed that persistence pays off. Public institutions, for instance, must explain the reasons for an unsuccessful RFP. Learning from an initial rejection can lead to future opportunities.
The Business Imperative
One of the symposium’s most important insights was that successful responsible procurement requires cultural transformation. As one procurement leader emphasized, “If you aren’t talking about it, you won’t get momentum to change.” This means securing leadership support, partnering with like-minded organizations, and maintaining robust data collection to track progress.
The closing advice was refreshingly direct: “Just do it. Don’t overthink it.” As colleges and universities strive to demonstrate a commitment to their local communities, responsible procurement offers a tangible way to align institutional values with action.
The question isn’t whether change is needed—it’s whether buyers and suppliers seize the opportunity to lead, one pizza sauce contract at a time.
