Victorian priority jobseekers: Social procurement guide

Overview

Opportunities for Victorian Priority Jobseekers is one of the 7 social procurement objectives in the Social Procurement Framework. This objective replaces the former Opportunities for disadvantaged Victorians.

This objective recognises the benefits that come from employment. This includes the opportunity to contribute to the economy. A major benefit for priority jobseekers is a sense of self-worth and independence.

Two outcomes have been identified for this objective:

purchasing from Victorian social enterprises
job readiness and employment for Victorian priority jobseekers by suppliers

‘Job readiness’ means: training, mentoring, social and cultural support. It equips individuals with the technical and learning skills. It gives them the attributes needed to gain, maintain and take part in work. Job readiness activities need to provide a pathway to employment.

Victorian priority jobseeker defined

A Victorian priority jobseeker is a person residing in Victoria. The person must be eligible to work.

A person eligible to work refers to:

Australian citizens
permanent residents
temporary residents seeking asylum
New Zealand citizens who have been living in Australia for more than twelve months.

A Victorian priority jobseeker must be one of the following:

long-term unemployed (unemployed for 12 months or more)
at risk of long-term unemployment:
- working less than 12 hours per week in casual, temporary, or intermittent work
- experiencing employment barriers (e.g. not completing secondary education, low English language proficiency)
A young person aged 15 to 24, is also a considered a priority jobseeker if
- unemployed
- working less than 12 hours in casual, temporary, or intermittent work
- not in full time study

Applies to all value thresholds.

There are two ways to deliver this outcome:

Direct approach

Purchasing directly from relevant Victorian Social Enterprises. A relevant Victorian social enterprise is one which has a focus on employing Victorian priority jobseekers.

Indirect approach

Include a Victorian Social Enterprise in the supply chain. Request potential tenderers to name which businesses they intend to subcontract and the proposed targets for expenditure with Victorian Social Enterprises.

Job readiness and employment for Victorian priority jobseekers by suppliers

Buyers need to support suppliers to achieve and maintain employment outcomes for Victorian priority jobseekers. See Jobs Victoria and Growing Regional Opportunities for Work information below.

Procurement activity by threshold

This outcome applies differently to lower and higher value procurements.

for procurement projects under $20 million, seek information from suppliers about employment or training opportunities provided for priority jobseekers
for procurement projects over $20 million, set supplier targets for employment and training of priority jobseekers. Ask suppliers to demonstrate how they will meet targets.

Buyers must always follow local Agency procurement processes.

Consider:
- buy from certified Victorian social enterprises (direct)
- buy from mainstream suppliers with Victorian social enterprises in their supply chain (indirect)
- consider suppliers that emphasise employment or training opportunities for Victorian priority jobseekers
Consider:
- whether part of the procurement can be unbundled for delivery from Social Enterprises
- mainstream suppliers that have Social Enterprises in their supply chain
- consider suppliers that emphasise employment or training opportunities for Victorian priority jobseekers
- setting targets for employment of Victorian Priority Jobseekers
Use the model clauses for a market approach. See, Social procurement toolkit for further guidance and instructions.
Consider:
- whether part of the procurement can be unbundled for delivery from Social Enterprises
- mainstream suppliers that have Social Enterprises in their supply chain
- setting targets for supplier expenditure with Victorian Social Enterprises. Ask them how they will meet such targets
Use the model clauses for a market approach. See, Social procurement toolkit for further guidance and instructions.

Also, see Social procurement requirements and expectations for ideas about recommended actions based on value thresholds. Value thresholds are exclusive of GST.

Opportunities to maximise outcomes

The Victorian government has a number of initiatives that support inclusive employment.

Buyers can reference these initiatives in Invitation to Supply documentation, where appropriate. Doing this can:

help bidders make connections
lay the groundwork for greater outcomes for Victorian priority jobseekers

Jobs Victoria

Jobs Victoria provides targeted support to people who face challenges finding employment. Jobs Victoria services are focussed on the locations most in need and include:

Jobs Victoria Mentors in the five priority local government areas of Brimbank, Hume, Dandenong, Shepparton and Latrobe. The service supports jobseekers who are long term unemployed (at least 12 months) or at risk of long term unemployment.
Work and Learning centres to support people looking for work, especially those living in public or social housing.

For goods and services, buyers should refer to Jobs Victoria when selecting the
job readiness and employment for Victorian priority jobseekers by suppliers outcome in invitation documents. Jobs Victoria can provide support with the recruitment of Victorian priority jobseekers.

For construction, public or social housing construction projects, consider referencing Jobs Victoria. In particular, Work and Learning Centres.

Growing Regional Opportunities for Work

There are five Growing Regional Opportunities for Work (GROW) networks operating in Victoria:

GROW networks bring together businesses, community organisations, and government. These networks are dedicated to delivering local economic development. They have a particular focus on inclusive employment.

The Social Housing Employment Program in partnership with Jobs Victoria, Uniting Vic/Tas and Quality.

The Program only applies to procurement that:

is based in metropolitan Melbourne or the Gippsland region
relates to social housing sector

If a procurement relates to social housing, consider including information on the program. One of the specified barriers to employment is ‘unstable housing or homelessness’. Program participants may therefore be eligible for support as a Victorian priority jobseeker.

Buying from a Victorian Social Enterprise contributes to other procurement-related policies. Outline in the invitation documents that expenditure with a Victorian Social Enterprise contributes to:

local content (under the Local Jobs First policy)

Find Victorian Social Enterprises:

See, Find social benefit supplier for a social enterprise definition.

See, Social Traders Social Enterprise Finder to locate Victorian certified social enterprises.

When choosing a social enterprise to engage, make sure it is aligned with job readiness and employment for Victorian priority jobseekers. See, the ‘Beneficiaries’ tab in Social Traders Social Enterprise Finder for information about each social enterprise.

The Victorian Government has a membership with Social Traders. Buyers are encouraged to search for suppliers on this platform.

Help and support

For more information about social procurement, please contact Buying for Vic.

Updated 19 November 2024