Procurement

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. In 2024-25, DPC continued to prioritise the following performance objectives:

1. Opportunities for Victorian Aboriginal people
2. Opportunities for Victorians with disability and priority jobseekers
3. Supporting safe and fair workplaces
4. Opportunities for Victorian social enterprises.

Education and advice for procuring teams was provided during 2024–25 through DGS Corporate Shared Services, enabling 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 2024-25

Social procurement outcomes 2024-25

During 2024–25, DPC achieved the following outcomes under the DGS Social Procurement Strategy:

• Engaged 38 social benefit suppliers, with a total spend of $13.31 million, including certified social enterprises, Aboriginal businesses and disability enterprises.
• Engaged 26 Victorian Aboriginal businesses, with a total spend of $13.12 million.
• Engaged 12 Victorian social enterprises, with a total spend of $193,727.
• Established five 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 (e.g. requests for tender) to ensure alignment with the Social Procurement Strategy.
• Providing education and training to buyers to increase awareness of social procurement.
• Raising awareness of the Procurement Knowledge Hub and encouraging buyers to access and complete training modules related to the Social Procurement Framework.
• Promoting webinars and events hosted by Kinaway 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.

In 2024-25, DPC did not need to activate its Emergency Procurement Plan.

Procurement complaints

Under the Victorian Government Purchasing Board’s governance policy, 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 through its procurement complaints management system in 2024-25.

Additional information available on request

In compliance with the requirements of the Standing Directions of the Assistant Treasurer, 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, People and Governance
Department of Government Services
35 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000

Email: governance@dgs.vic.gov.au