Procurement
A business can be capable of delivering the work and still struggle to reach the buyer. We examine how purchasing decisions are made, which suppliers are invited to compete and what happens between a diversity commitment and a signed contract.
AnalysisFifty one per cent is where the question starts
The Commonwealth moved its definition of an Indigenous business by one percentage point this year. The reason should interest anyone who thinks certification is about a number.
AnalysisSocial procurement is growing. The question is who it reaches.
Social Traders reported 304 million dollars in member spending last year. The number is real. So is what it leaves out.
AnalysisThe category on the form is where the work begins
Recognition makes a supplier visible. Whether anyone looks is a different question, and most diversity programs never ask it.
ExplainerWhat LGBTIQA+ supplier certification looks like overseas
Existing programs show how it can be done. They also show that fees, identity evidence and eligibility rules are the design, not the detail.
ExplainerSupply Nation and Social Traders: what their certification establishes
Both help buyers identify suppliers. They verify different things, and the difference is the most useful lesson Australia has for anyone thinking about a third.
ExplainerWhat social procurement is, and what it is not
An ordinary purchase can carry a social commitment. The contract has to say what that commitment means, or it means nothing.
ExplainerHow supplier diversity works in Australia
The rules depend on who is buying. Understanding that is the difference between a certification that opens doors and one that sits in a drawer.
