By Teshini Harrison This past February, I had the opportunity to attend Buy Social Canada’s annual summit. Billed as the event for “ exploring the rapidly emerging and expanding field of social procurement,” I found it insightful and informative. It offered a great opportunity to see a wide range of purchasers from across the country and from all sectors, including government, corporations, and anchor institutions...
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Thank you to Imagine Canada for permission to repost this article. We definitely know the tide is turning when industry leaders like Mitchell Cohen, the President of the Daniels Corporation, encourages the private sector to “climb aboard the social procurement train”. (Globe & Mail, June 14, 2017) As with any business, increasing sales opportunities is a critical factor for success. But for social enterprises (1), additional sales translate into more than just increased...
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As the summer winds down (sad face), this is the time for many to start gearing up for the craziness that comes with a renewed commitment to get back to the grind. September brings a sense of a fresh start as we use the energy boost we were hopefully able to take advantage of over the holidays (summer camp operators – your time is coming!)...
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Social procurement expands our understanding of “value for money,” beyond the lowest cost to include the broader costs and benefits of our collective purchasing power. That sometimes means “fair trade” or “sweatshop free labour,” but it can go much further. Like buying from companies that hire and promote marginalized workers or take measures beyond regulatory requirements to reduce their carbon impact. This is not just...
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by Liz Sutherland and Heather Laird
Originally posted on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Behind The Numbers blog site. What is social procurement? Is this about online dating? No, we are not talking about your social life here. We are talking about the exciting side of economics (and yes, there is one!). It’s the economics of purchasing power. What we buy matters—and who we buy from matters just as much....
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