Social Procurement
In 2018 the Victorian Government determined that it had an opportunity to use its buying power to enter into procurement contracts that could make a real difference to all Victorians.
As a result, the Social Procurement Framework (SPF) was released, encouraging organisations to use their buying power to generate social and/or sustainable value above and beyond the value of the goods, services or construction being procured.
ICN Victoria Social
Procurement Program
The ICN Social Procurement Program supports SPF to deliver Victorian employment and economic outcomes. The program supports Agencies and industry working on projects and procurement with the requirement for local, social and sustainable outcomes by increasing awareness and education, maximising Victorian supply chain engagement and Victorian jobs as well as providing local, social and sustainable data insights through our flagship system, VMC.
Industry can expect to see targets or requirements pursuing one or more of the ten social procurement objectives.
There are seven social procurement objectives which align with important Government work in relation to Aboriginal businesses and social enterprises, Victorian Aboriginal people and Victorians with disability, gender equality and the prevention of family violence, industrial relations and secure employment, and socio-economic disadvantage.
Social procurement objectives
1. Opportunities for Victorian Aboriginal people
2. Opportunities for Victorians with disability
3. Women’s equality and safety
4. Opportunities for disadvantaged Victorians
5. Supporting safe and fair workplaces
6. Sustainable Victorian social enterprise and Aboriginal business sectors
7. Sustainable Victorian regions
There are also three sustainable procurement objectives, which align with important work being undertaken by the Victorian Government in relation to promoting environmental sustainability in the use of resources and addressing climate change.
Sustainable procurement objectives
8. Environmentally sustainable outputs
9. Environmentally sustainable business practices
10. Implementation of the Climate Change Policy Objectives
Social Procurement in Action
ICN Social
Procurement Team
Rebecca Lee
Rebecca Lee is the Principal Social Procurement Adviser at ICN Victoria. Her work with ICN Victoria encompasses three years in the Local Jobs First Policy team, and she now brings this experience in policy implementation to the Social Procurement Framework. Rebecca has experience in driving effective policy implementation and compliance from her previous role as Policy Compliance Team Leader. She has aspirations for social and sustainable procurement practices and looks forward to applying her background in Women and Gender studies to the Building Equality Policy program for ICN Victoria.
Janelle Williams
Janelle commenced at ICN Victoria in 2022 and is keen to provide guidance on the Building Equality Policy to SMEs and learning more about the Social Procurement Framework. Janelle comes to us from Northern Health where she was the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Adviser and COVID workforce lead. Janelle has worked with the Victorian Government in their Department of Health and Human Services as a Freedom of Information Advisor and a Policy Officer, including working in the Medicinal Cannabis Taskforce. She holds a bachelor’s degree, focused in law from Monash University and has a strong relationship building and public policy background.
Social Procurement Framework and Local Jobs First Reporting
The Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions and the Department of Treasury and Finance worked with the ICN to develop a joint reporting platform that will be used for both the SPF and LJF policies.
Social Procurement Framework and Local Jobs First reporting is an extended feature on VMC to report and monitor contract commitments and achievements of SPF and LJF contracts.
VMC Reporting will streamline the process and reduce administrative burden for suppliers. It will make it easier to capture social procurement commitments and outcomes, which will support Agency and Victoria government efforts to report local, social and sustainable outcomes from both policies.
From 1 July 2021, all contracts containing SPF commitments are required to be recorded on the VMC.
Learn more about VMC
Social Procurement Assessment Tool
The Social and Sustainable Procurement Assessment Tool is currently unavailable, please email vicspteam@icnvic.org.au with any questions.
The Latest from Social procurement
Latest issues of prospect
current projects in victoria
Suburban Rail Loop
Laing O'Rourke is the Managing Contractor for the Initial Works and Early Works (IWEW) package for the SRL East, and currently have 17 work packages open. Submit soon, these close 12 Oct 2022.
Project Banksia
Project Banksia will build the only cell-based influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in the Southern Hemisphere, to be built at Tullamarine.
Forensic Mental Health Expansion Project
This project is led and administered by the Victorian Health Building Authority in collaboration with Forensicare, Victoria’s specialist provider of forensic mental health services. The Project seeks to provide an additional 82 forensic mental health beds on the Thomas Embling Hospital (TEH) site in Fairfield by 2024
