For her work with the Valuing Inclusion to Accelerate and Lift (VITAL) program, Facilities’ Demetria Scott, manager of Small Business Inclusion (SBI), was recognized with an award from the Birmingham Business Alliance. The VITAL program is a partnership between the City of Birmingham and the Birmingham Business Alliance to increase procurement of products and services from small, diverse businesses.

Scott oversaw the process for the first VITAL spend report that was published in February 2021. That group became the Inclusive Procurement Council (IPC), which now meets monthly. Scott's award was in recognition of her role leading the inaugural IPC of the Birmingham Business Alliance. The council is made up of procurement professionals at some of the region’s largest companies that meet monthly to discuss best practices in supplier diversity and hear presentations from local suppliers pitching their goods and services.

The program is aligned with the work Scott does at UAB. SBI is charged with educating the UAB community about the importance of working with small, diverse businesses in the Birmingham community. The department also works with local businesses to provide information and training on how to successfully work with larger businesses, such as UAB.  

The City of Birmingham is also invested in this goal. The VITAL program recognizes there is a need to break down barriers that have left underrepresented businesses out of the competition for lucrative contracts with companies. According to the program’s website, “VITAL is a clarion call to increase procurement of products and services from small, diverse businesses to bridge the gap between larger corporations in the region and the small businesses that want and need to do business with them.”