Social Procurement Framework
The Victorian Government is committed to social procurement and has established the Social Procurement Framework, which leverages the government’s buying power to deliver social, economic and environmental outcomes that benefit the Victorian community.
DPC introduced its social procurement strategy in early 2019 to guide implementation of the framework. During 2025–26, DPC implemented an updated and comprehensive social procurement strategy as part of the broader shared corporate procurement arrangement with DGS, prioritising the delivery of 5 significant social outcomes:
- opportunities for Victorian Aboriginal people
- opportunities for Victorians with a disability
- women's equality and safety
- opportunities for Victorian priority jobseekers
- sustainable Victorian social enterprises and Aboriginal business sectors.
Education and advice for teams supporting DPC procurements enabled key decision-makers to apply the principles and requirements of the framework. As a result, social procurement priorities were embedded in supplier selection and contract awarding processes, strengthening supplier commitment to these objectives across both direct and indirect procurement.
Purchases from social suppliers in 2025–26
| Social procurement opportunity | Metric | Number of businesses engaged | Actual spend $ (excl. GST) |
| Opportunities for Victorian Aboriginal people | Total expenditure with Victorian Aboriginal businesses | 214,130 | |
| Number of Victorian Aboriginal businesses engaged | 17 |
| |
| Opportunities for Victorians with a disability | Total expenditure with Victorian social enterprises led by a mission for people with a disability and Australian disability enterprises |
| - |
| Number of Victorian social enterprises led by a mission for people with a disability and Australian disability enterprises engaged | - |
| |
| Opportunities for Victorian priority jobseekers | Total expenditure with Victorian social enterprises led by a mission for priority jobseekers |
| - |
| Number of Victorian social enterprises led by a mission for priority jobseekers engaged | - | ||
| Sustainable Victorian social enterprises and Aboriginal business sectors | Total expenditure with Victorian social enterprises |
| 60,940 |
| Number of Victorian social enterprises engaged | 9 |
Social procurement outcomes
During 2025–26, DPC achieved the following outcomes under the Social Procurement Strategy:
- engaged 26 social benefit suppliers, with a total spend of $275,070, including certified social enterprises, Aboriginal businesses and disability enterprises
- engaged 17 Victorian Aboriginal businesses, with a total spend of $214,130
- engaged nine Victorian social enterprises, with a total spend of $60,940
- established six contracts with Victorian Government suppliers that included social procurement commitments.
In addition, DPC implemented several initiatives to strengthen its social procurement approach, including:
- incorporating social and sustainable evaluation criteria into procurement documentation to ensure alignment with the Social Procurement Strategy
- providing education and training to buyers to increase awareness of social procurement
- raising awareness of the DGS ‘Procurement Knowledge Hub’ and encouraging buyers to access and complete training modules related to the Social Procurement Framework
- promoting webinars and events hosted by the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce to departmental buyers.
Emergency procurement
DPC developed and implemented its Emergency Procurement Plan in December 2022, in line with the Victorian Government Purchasing Board’s policy – Governance: Goods and services policy. The plan sets out requirements for procuring goods and services in response to an emergency.
DPC did not need to activate its Emergency Procurement Plan in 2025–26.
Procurement complaints
Under the Governance: goods and services policy of the Victorian supply policy framework, departments must disclose any formal complaints relating to the procurement of goods and services received through its procurement complaints management system.
DPC did not receive any formal complaints lodged through its procurement complaints management system in 2025–26.
Additional information available on request
In compliance with the requirements of the Standing Directions, details of items listed below have been retained by DPC and are available on request, subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. These items include:
- a statement that declarations of pecuniary interests have been duly completed by all relevant DPC officers
- details of shares held by a senior officer as nominee or held beneficially in a statutory authority or subsidiary
- details of publications produced by DPC about itself and how these can be obtained
- details of changes in prices, fees, charges, rates and levies charged by DPC
- details of any major external reviews carried out on DPC
- details of major research and development activities undertaken by DPC
- details of overseas visits undertaken, including a summary of the objectives and outcomes of each visit
- details of major promotional, public relations and marketing activities undertaken by DPC to develop community awareness of DPC and its services
- details of assessments and measures undertaken to improve the OHS of employees
- a general statement on industrial relations within DPC and details of time lost through industrial accidents and disputes
- a list of major committees sponsored by DPC, the purposes of each committee and the extent to which the purposes have been achieved
- details of all consultancies and contractors including:
- consultants and contractors engaged
- services provided
- expenditure committed for each engagement.
This information is available on request from:
Executive Director, Business Operations Services
Department of Government Services
35 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000
Email: governance@dgs.vic.gov.au
Updated