How will the guidelines help me?

If you are responsible for procurement, these guidelines will help you to:

• understand social impact procurement;
• identify potential suppliers in your community; and,
• develop a procurement process that assesses both financial and social value.

Goal

The goal of the ministry’s approach to social impact purchasing is simple: to ensure our procurement activities support the overall goals and objectives of the ministry. This means making purchasing decisions that support:

• increased independence and sustainable employment for those in need,
• meaningful independence and community inclusion for British Columbians with disabilities, and
• a culture of social innovation across the province.

What is Social Impact Purchasing?

Social Impact Purchasing is a process through which organizations consider not only value for money, but also social and environmental impacts when purchasing goods and services.

For example, The City of Vancouver, BC Hydro and Tourism BC all contract with Starworks Packaging and Assembly. Starworks, a social enterprise, employs people with developmental disabilities.

Download the Social Impact Purchasing Guidelines

Table of Contents