Who we are
Established in June 2013 by a group that includes purchasers and suppliers, Social Procurement Australasia (SPA) is a membership-based not-for-profit association that builds awareness around, and supports the effective adoption of, social procurement policies and strategies in Australia and across the region. SPA is an unincorporated association structured around a network model – its members contribute funds and time commitments to assist with developing and implementing its agenda. The SPA network helps to bring together organisations and individuals to provide thought leadership, and to lead policy and practice development. SPA supports the growing demand for guidance, networking and capacity building in this emerging field by developing and bringing together a range of tools, guides and case studies to support purchasers and suppliers in delivering social value outcomes. SPA and its Members also partner with a variety of organisations to deliver conferences, forums and workshops.
SPA’s current organisational Members are based around Australia, and one is based in New Zealand.
Social Procurement Australasia’s Objectives
- Making it easy to access information to understand and undertake social procurement activities through the creation of a creative commons for content;
- Establishing opportunities for those participating in, supporting or interested in social procurement to network, develop skills and share good practice and experience;
- Influencing and supporting the development of tools, case studies, a research and evidence base, and policy and practices that will support the growth and increased mainstreaming of social procurement practice;
- Increasing the capacity of all suppliers to deliver social value.
- Supporting the social benefit supplier market to be appropriately prepared to identify, respond to and deliver on contract opportunities;
- Demonstrating the benefits and value created through social procurement; and
- Identifying and communicating the key success factors in which social procurement can operate most effectively.