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Anchor institutions say local procurement program has directed $1.5B to D.C. vendors; nearly $1B went to minority‑owned firms
Summary
Officials from the DC Community Anchor Partnership (DCAP) and Children's National described multi‑agency efforts to increase institutional procurement from D.C.‑based and minority‑owned vendors, citing growth from $17M to $47M in Children's National local spend between FY19 and FY25.
Phil Bercaw, who leads the DC Community Anchor Partnership, told the committee the anchor institution initiative — a collaborative of major hospitals, universities and other institutions convened with DMPED — has directed about $1.5 billion in spending to D.C.‑based businesses since 2017. "Nearly $1,000,000,000 of that has gone to local minority‑owned firms," Bercaw said, pointing to tracking and procurement changes that anchor institutions adopted to prioritize local suppliers.
Ashley Wilson, Vice President of Supply Chain Services at Children's National Hospital, described her institution's local spend increasing from $17 million in FY19 to $47 million in FY25 and said Children's now directs roughly 12–15% of total spend to local vendors. She described a reverse supplier fair and a three‑year, $1.7 million facilities contract that stemmed from DCAP connections. Witnesses urged continued DMPED support for DCAP’s procurement consulting and data tracking work as a relatively low‑cost way to grow local businesses and jobs.
