Ties to the Council as a third party was meant to enhance the visibility of such suppliers and their MBE certification gave some signal that the firm met some basic, even if fledging threshold of capability. Buyer corporations for their part confirmed the suspi- cion of some suppliers that there was some belief that some MBEs may not have what it takes to be effective, reliable suppliers and therefore some corporations saw the role of the Council as one of a scout, capable of finding competent prospective suppliers. Both our primary and secondary data confirmed that the Council went to great lengths to make MBEs visible by bringing both parties to milieus where they were both comfortable. It was the Council's duty to bring both parties to settings where, although unscripted, there were presented real opportunities to initiate ties that led in several cases to long term supplier relationships between suppli- ers and buyers. Another important area in which the Council managed expectations was in highlighting the fact that while it brought the parties together, it was up to the parties themselves to work hard at initiating the development of ties. The President of the Council noted: