On 25th September 2024, the Irish Social Enterprise Network, through BuySocial.ie, had the privilege of contributing to the Strategic Public Procurement Roadmap workshop hosted by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) in collaboration with the European Commission. This workshop formed part of a broader EU-wide initiative to explore and develop strategic public procurement (SPP) practices that align with economic, social, and environmental priorities.
Why This Matters
Public procurement represents a massive opportunity to drive positive social impact. In Ireland alone, public sector bodies spend billions annually on goods and services. By embedding social value considerations into procurement processes, we can support social enterprises, SMEs, and community-driven initiatives—ensuring that public money works harder for society.
Our Contribution
At the workshop, BuySocial.ie championed the role of social enterprises in delivering high-impact, value-driven solutions for public procurement. We highlighted how procurers can:
- Leverage reserved contracts to directly engage social enterprises and drive social value.
- Enhance SME participation by simplifying tendering processes and providing targeted capacity-building support.
- Increase transparency by ensuring better visibility of pipeline projects and procurement opportunities.
- Foster collaboration between government, semi-states, and social enterprises to mainstream social procurement.
Our discussions reflected the broader themes identified during the event, particularly around the challenges of complex procurement regulations, SME accessibility, and the need for cross-sector collaboration.
Key Takeaways
Some of the main insights from the event included:
- A Need for Simplicity – Current procurement frameworks are often seen as overly complex, leading to box-ticking approaches rather than meaningful social impact.
- Capacity Building – There is a gap in procurement expertise and training, making it difficult for public buyers to integrate social criteria effectively.
- Transparency & Data – More accessible procurement data and improved supplier visibility are essential to fostering trust and engagement.
- Culture Shift – Risk aversion among procurement officers remains a challenge, preventing innovative approaches like social procurement from gaining traction.
- Cross-Sectoral Collaboration – Greater inter-departmental coordination and engagement with commercial semi-states can drive a more unified approach to social procurement.
What’s Next?
The insights from this workshop will feed into Ireland’s first National Public Procurement Strategy, set to be developed through a public consultation process in 2025. This represents a major opportunity for social enterprises and impact-driven businesses to advocate for stronger social procurement policies at a national level.
At BuySocial.ie, we remain committed to supporting public buyers in sourcing from social enterprises and ensuring that social procurement becomes a core pillar of Ireland’s public procurement landscape.
Join the Conversation
If you’re a social enterprise, policymaker, or procurement professional, we’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can make public procurement work for people and planet. Let’s seize this moment to create a procurement system that prioritises impact and sustainability.
Stay tuned for further updates as we continue to advocate for a fairer, more inclusive procurement ecosystem.
You can find out more here: https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/861f6-national-public-procurement-policy-strategy-development/