A bright idea β made possible through ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμβs Office of Procurement and Supplier Diversity β will help ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ University save more than $6 million in energy costs over the next 20 years.
On December 4, 2019, the universityβs Board of Trustees approved solar panels as part of a renewable energy project on ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμβs seven regional campuses. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.
The idea came from a recent graduate of the Office of Procurement and Supplier Diversityβs annual ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ University/Turner Construction Workshop Series. Graduate Cliff Wood, owner of Prairie Wind Group, a minority-owned company, said the idea of solar power for ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ struck him after meeting with several of his university mentors from the Office of the University Architect. PWG later presented a proposal to university leadership about conducting a feasibility study to assess the potential savings in implementing solar installations on seven campuses within the university system.
βInitially, PWG estimated that ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ could realize more than $1 million in energy savings,β said Veronica Cook-Euell, Supplier Diversity Program Manager. βPWG was hired to conduct a feasibility study. After the university publicly solicited proposals and evaluated which firm could offer the best value, the figure was revised to $6 million in savings over 20 years.β
Supplier diversity plays a key role in providing new solutions to ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ through working with creative, innovative and competitive minority-owned and women-owned suppliers. Diversity in the universityβs supplier base has been vital, not only with an eye on quality and cost savings, but in alignment with the universityβs core values of diversity, equity and inclusion. This project in particular also aligns with ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμβs commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.
βThe Office of the University Architect is a strong supporter of supplier diversity,β said Cook-Euell, βand because of their belief in inclusion, the entire university system will now benefit.β
Learn more about Supplier Diversity at ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ University