Detailed guidance for opportunities for disadvantaged Victorians

Introduction

Opportunities for disadvantaged Victorians is one of seven social procurement objectives included in the Social Procurement Framework.

Corresponding social outcomes

The Social Procurement Framework identifies two social outcomes corresponding to this social procurement objective:

• purchasing from Victorian social enterprises
• job readiness and employment for
  • long-term unemployed people
  • disengaged youth
  • single parents
  • migrants and refugees
  • workers in transition

These outcomes are addressed separately below.

Recommended actions

Individual procurement activity requirements for government buyers (Table 3 of the Social Procurement Framework) recommends the following actions:

For individual procurement activities valued below $1 million (regional) or $3 million (metro or State-wide) (exclusive of GST), government buyers seek opportunities to directly or indirectly procure from relevant Victorian social enterprises (i.e. those that create job readiness and employment opportunities for disadvantaged Victorians).

For individual procurement activities valued at or above $1 million (regional) or $3 million (metro or State-wide) up to $20 million (exclusive of GST), government buyers consider whether part of the procurement can be unbundled for delivery by relevant Victorian social enterprises.

For individual procurement activities valued at or above $20 million (exclusive of GST), government buyers:

• set supplier targets for employment and training for disadvantaged Victorians
• set targets for supplier expenditure with relevant Victorian social enterprises and ask suppliers to demonstrate how they will meet such targets

Purchasing from Victorian social enterprises

Benefits for Victorians

Social enterprises play an important role in providing transitional employment for disadvantaged job seekers as a pathway to employment in mainstream businesses.

Social enterprises can also provide ongoing employment options for disadvantaged job seekers who may not be well placed to sustain mainstream employment over the longer term.

Model approach for government buyers

There are two model approaches to delivering this outcome:

• Direct approach to social procurement – selectively target relevant Victorian social enterprises or, alternatively, ensure that relevant Victorian social enterprises are included in any market approach.

AND/OR

• Indirect approach to social procurement – require mainstream suppliers to include relevant Victorian social enterprises within their supply chain (e.g. by way of subcontracting).

Where appropriate, government buyers may also require suppliers to evidence their status, or the status of suppliers in their supply chain, as a relevant Victorian social enterprise.

Further information for buyers

See further information provided in relation to Purchasing from Victorian social enterprises and Australian Disability Enterprises to help government buyers identify Victorian social enterprises.

Job readiness and employment for disadvantaged Victorians

Benefits for Victorians

Victoria is the fastest growing state in Australia, moving rapidly towards a knowledge economy. Within this dynamic environment, it is important to support jobseekers at risk of being left behind.

Employment has a wealth of positive outcomes for individuals, from building confidence and self-esteem, to enabling more independent and stable lifestyles and providing opportunities for social interaction and community engagement.

Model approach for government buyers

The model approach to delivering this outcome involves two components:

• require suppliers to commit to targets for employment and/or training outcomes for disadvantaged Victorians (note: the government buyer may select one or more disadvantaged cohorts or include all disadvantaged cohorts)
• require suppliers to explain how they will identify disadvantaged Victorians and support them to achieve and maintain employment and training outcomes

Response schedules

The response schedules related to opportunities for disadvantaged Victorians are available on the Social procurement toolkit.

Further information for government buyers

In considering such opportunities it is recommended that the focus be on responding to demonstrated employer/industry workforce needs and providing pathways to employment that are likely to be sustained over time. The information below provides definitions for the cohorts of disadvantaged Victorians identified in the Social Procurement Framework and refers to various government funded services and programs to help suppliers create training and employment opportunities for disadvantaged Victorians.

Cohorts of disadvantaged Victorians

In the Social Procurement Framework context, disadvantaged Victorians means ‘Victorian people or groups that are in unfavourable circumstances or considered to be vulnerable, especially in relation to financial, employment or social opportunities. This may include, but is not limited to, youth, long-term unemployed, people with disability, refugees, migrants and persons needing to develop skills to become work ready’.

Job readiness and employment for disadvantaged Victorians identifies five groups or ‘cohorts’ of disadvantaged Victorians as its focus (note: migrants and refugees are defined separately below), namely:

• long-term unemployed people – people who have not been employed for 12 months or more excluding people undertaking studies
• disengaged youth – people aged 15 to 24 years not studying and seeking full-time work
• single parents – sole parents that are responsible for dependent or non-dependent children of any age (either living in the household or outside the household) and not sustainably employed for a period of 12 months or more
• migrants – people who leave their country voluntarily to commence living in Australia and not in sustainable employment for period of 12 months or more
• refugees – people subject to persecution in their home country and who now reside outside their home country and have resettled in Victoria, Australia and not sustainably employed for a period of 12 months or more
• workers in transition – jobseekers who are recently retrenched or facing pending retrenchment due to business closure or industry transition, who require further training or on-the-job support to transition to new employment

Employment access and support services

See further information provided in relation to Employment of Victorian Aboriginal people by suppliers to the Victorian Government in relation to jobactive and Jobs Victoria.

Tools and support

This content on this page is taken from the Social Procurement Framework – Buyer Guidance Guide to individual procurement activity requirements. Access a PDF version in the social procurement document library.

For more information about social procurement, please contact the Social Procurement team.