A partnership to transform social procurement in Australia

As long-standing experts in social procurement and supplier diversity, Social Traders, Supply Nation and WEConnect International have formed a partnership to lead significant step change of procurement sector in Australia.

As a collective, Social Traders, Supply Nation and WEConnect International, represent over 6,000 diverse suppliers and 1,000 businesses, and through this historic Memorandum of Understanding will come together to form a collaborative and united approach to drive greater social procurement outcomes across Australia.

The partnership is acknowledgement of the mutual respect for each other’s credibility and experience in advocating, connecting and strengthening the relationships between corporate, government and diverse suppliers. The goal of working together is to unlock mutual benefits and drive greater economic engagement that strengthens our communities and the economy.

Commenting on this partnership, Kate Russell CEO Supply Nation said, “Our partnership recognises our shared values and purpose. We will continue to work together to support our members and suppliers through the procurement process and drive their capability through shared thought leadership.”

Throughout the three-year agreement Social Traders, Supply Nation and WEConnect International will work together on joint initiatives, referral pathways and joint promotion. This will involve collectively working to strengthen Indigenous businesses, women-owned businesses, social enterprises and the intersections that exist between these groups.

Together the partners will also explore opportunities to share insights and data for joint research to lead sector development and provide joint guidance on how to engage more effectively with diverse suppliers.

“The partnership between WEConnect International, Supply Nation and Social Traders is a transformative alliance that leverages the strengths of each organisations to create a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable business environment. We are combining our expertise and networks to drive new opportunities for competitive, but underutilized businesses in Australia and around the world. I encourage organisations out there to join us!” commented Elizabeth Vazquez CEO WEConnect International.

Social Traders, Supply Nation and WEConnect International deliver the highest standard of supplier certification in Australia for each supplier type that we support.

"This is a historic partnership for the social procurement sector in Australia. It moves us another step closer to making buying from diverse suppliers the norm – part of our mission to make business for good simply business as usual.” said Tara Anderson CEO Social Traders.

“Social procurement is a fantastic lever that organisations can use to deliver on their ESG and sustainability commitments. Through this partnership, we are finding new ways to collaborate to make social procurement easier for businesses and governments.

About the partners

Social Traders has been a leading social enterprise industry body since 2008. Social Traders is Australia’s certifier of social enterprises and holds the national database of social enterprise suppliers. Social Traders led the development of social enterprise procurement in Australia. The organisation has worked with over 900 social enterprises and supported 300 businesses to buy from certified social enterprises and embed ESG practices. This has catalysed $843m in social procurement spend with certified social enterprises. Social Traders measures and reports on the impact of social procurement using Australia’s deepest social enterprise database.

Supply Nation is Australia’s leading supplier diversity organisation, working to connect corporate and government organisations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses to facilitate commercial opportunities. Supply Nation hosts the largest online directory of verified Indigenous businesses in Australia, Indigenous Business Direct (IBD) which is mandated by the Federal Government as the first reference point for procurement officers looking to fulfil their targets under the Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP). Supply Nation’s vision is a prosperous, vibrant and sustainable Indigenous business sector and they work towards this by driving understanding that the certification of businesses can be used to deliver positive social outcomes; by facilitating connections between Indigenous businesses and their members’ procurement departments and through their industry leading 5-step verification (registration, certification and audit) process.

WEConnect International is the leading global non-profit helping women-owned businesses succeed in global value chains. WEConnect International identifies, educates, registers, and certifies women's business enterprises that are at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women and then connects them with member buyers. WEConnect International member buyers represent over $4 trillion in annual purchasing power and a deep commitment to supplier development and inclusive sourcing. The result is a network of member buyers working with women business owners based in over 135 countries, including Australia, that are learning, collaborating, and winning billions of dollars in new business.