Overview
Victorian Government departments and agencies can learn how to implement and apply the Social Procurement Framework at Social Procurement Framework and guides.
Suppliers can learn how to work with Government to deliver social and sustainable outcomes at Social Procurement Framework for suppliers.
What is a social benefit supplier?
The Victorian Government considers that all suppliers can deliver one or more social and sustainable outcome when doing business with Government.
One approach to social procurement – the direct approach – is where departments or agencies directly deliver social or sustainable outcomes by purchasing goods, services or construction from a social benefit supplier.
Definition of social benefit supplier
Social benefit supplier means a business that:
- is a Victorian social enterprise
- is a Victorian Aboriginal business and is verified by Supply Nation or Kinaway
- provides ‘employment supports or services’ as defined by Part 5 of the Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023 (Cth), and operates and has business premises in Victoria.
Victorian social enterprise means an organisation that is:
- certified by Social Traders, and operates and has business premises in Victoria
Victorian Aboriginal business means a business that:
- is at least 50 per cent Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander-owned
- undertakes commercial activity
- operates and has business premises in Victoria
The Victorian Government continues to explore opportunities to engage social procurement partners to identify and verify other types of social benefit suppliers.
Social enterprises
Social enterprises are purpose-driven businesses and benefit our society in many positive ways.
This means a business that:
- leads with an economic, social, cultural or environmental mission. This mission usually provides a public or community benefit
- gets a large part of income from their trade (goods and/or services)
reinvests the majority of profit (or surplus) towards its mission
The Victorian Enterprise Strategy 2021-25 is the Victorian Government’s policy to grow the social enterprise sector in Victoria. The strategy delivers on the following focus areas:
- building business skills and capability and capturing impact
- enhancing recognition and access to innovative financing to scale impact
- fostering a connected and innovative social enterprise ecosystem across Victoria
- opening doors for social enterprises across government
The Government has partnered with Social Traders to connect government buyers with certified Victorian social enterprises.
The eProcurement platform has a list of Victorian social benefit suppliers.
Buyers can find social enterprises on:
Aboriginal businesses
The Victorian Government values the important contribution that Victoria’s Aboriginal business sector makes to Victoria’s economy and community. Improving the visibility and networks of Victorian Aboriginal businesses is a strategic priority of Tharamba Bugheen – Victorian Aboriginal Business Strategy 2017-2021. The Aboriginal business sector is large and diverse, and includes for-profit businesses, social enterprises and community enterprises.
The Victorian Government has partnered with Kinaway to connect government buyers with verified Victorian Aboriginal businesses. Supply Nation also provides a national directory that can help government buyers find Victorian Aboriginal businesses.
For information about Aboriginal Businesses, see:
Buyers can also log in to Digital Marketplace and access Supplier Hub to search for Victorian social benefit suppliers, including Victorian Aboriginal Businesses. This is not a complete list of social benefit suppliers, it only contains those suppliers who have registered in the Supplier Hub.
Australian Disability Enterprises
Australian Disability Enterprises are Commonwealth-funded (and generally not-for-profit) organisations that seek to operate in a commercial context, specifically to provide supportive employment opportunities to people with moderate to severe disability.
Inclusive Victoria: state disability plan (2022–2026) is the Victorian Government’s policy to bring about an inclusive community that makes things fairer for people with disability.
Inclusive Victoria commits to:
- improve buyer understanding of the Social Procurement Framework
- promote Victorians with disability outcomes in market approaches
- encourage Victorians with disability objectives in social procurement strategies
- develop supplier materials to better understand the Victorians with disability objective. The materials will outline examples of good practice, case studies and resources.
Government buyers can find Australian Disability Enterprises using BuyAbility’s online directory.
Social procurement partners
The Victorian Government works collaboratively with partners and supporting agencies to:
- develop buyer and supplier capability
- support suppliers with recruiting, pre-employment, on-the-job training and mentoring
- connect buyers to certified social enterprises and Aboriginal businesses
The Victorian Government’s current social procurement partnerships include:
Kinaway
The Victorian Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce supports Aboriginal businesses and entrepreneurs. Through policy, advocacy, and representation services, Kinaway seeks to grow the capacity of the Aboriginal business sector, entrepreneurs, and Aboriginal business leadership in Victoria.
Social Traders
Australia’s leading organisation that connects social enterprise with social procurement opportunities. Through certification and membership opportunities, Social Traders links business and government buyers with social enterprise and aims to create jobs for priority jobseekers.
Supply Nation
The Australian leader in Indigenous supplier diversity, established in 2009 to connect its membership of Australia’s leading government agencies and corporates with Indigenous businesses across the country. Supply Nation’s rigorous registration and certification processes ensure members can be confident of Indigenous ownership.
Help and support
For more information about social procurement, please contact Buying for Victoria.
Updated