Lehigh University

with emphasis on criteria like environmental responsibility, fair labor practices, and transparency. To ensure it is selecting the best suppliers, the university conducts a Request for Proposal process, defining comprehensive requirements for the services it seeks to procure. This process is used to vet a supplier’s capacity to meet Lehigh’s timelines, their experience in higher education, proximity, the experience of the supplier’s team, their sustainability practices, safety standards, financial health, diversity equity, and inclusion efforts, technology and innovation, risk management, and many other factors. Because of this thorough screening process, Lehigh has cultivated relationships with some of the highest-quality vendors and suppliers. For example, the university granted Pepsi exclusive pouring rights to sell its beverages on campus, and Sodexo one of Lehigh’s largest partners, operates numerous dining service options across the campus. Additionally, going back to procurement, companies like Skanska have become key suppliers for Lehigh’s largest capital projects, and, the banking giant,Wells Fargo provides the university access to their credit card and expense reporting tools. “The vendors we have ongoing relationships with participate in quarterly business reviews. So, we’re on top of their performance and consider them partners, not just suppliers,”Altemose says, explaining that the nature of these relationships is very collaborative, transparent, and future-oriented. 6 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 03 LEHIGH UNIVERSI TY