The New Rules of Social Procurement in Australia
Across Australia, social procurement has moved from aspiration to obligation. Frameworks such as Victoria’s Social Procurement Framework (SPF), the NSW Procurement Policy Framework, and the Commonwealth Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP) mandate that a measurable proportion of spend must go to certified social benefit suppliers.
These commitments are embedded into Victorian Government Purchasing Board (VGPB) rules and into contract terms nationally. They are binding, audited, and enforceable. Procurement officers must not only award spend to certified suppliers but also provide evidence that outcomes have been delivered.
Even small percentages equal massive dollar values in social procurement.
From Procurement Percentages to Real Pressure
On major projects, even small percentage targets translate into huge sums. For example, Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Project, with a budget of A$13.5 billion, carried a three per cent requirement — equating to more than A$400 million that had to flow through certified suppliers.
Most social enterprises in Australia are small, with turnover below A$5 million. Meeting obligations at this scale by spreading spend across dozens of fragmented contracts creates monitoring overheads, compliance risks, and audit challenges.
Why Conventional ICT Resellers Fail Social Procurement Framework Tests
ICT procurement today is still dominated by conventional resellers and systems integrators. They deliver the technology efficiently — but they don’t qualify under social procurement frameworks. Why ?
- Certification is mandatory. Under SPF, only spend with certified social enterprises (via Social Traders), verified Indigenous businesses (via Supply Nation or Kinaway), or recognised Disability Enterprises counts. Mainstream ICT resellers don’t hold these certifications.
- Social enterprise status is required. Without it, procurement officers cannot report ICT spend as meeting obligations, no matter the value.
- Audit evidence is non-negotiable. Frameworks demand certification proof. Conventional resellers cannot provide it, so billions of dollars in ICT spend remain invisible to compliance.
The result: procurement teams under pressure push spend into categories like catering or cleaning — valuable, but too fragmented to absorb the scale of obligations.
What Compliance Requires
- Certification barriers
- Fragmented suppliers
- Limited impact visibility
What TechForGood Delivers
- Full compliance certification
- Single supplier channel
- Auditable impact reporting
Compliance
Certification
Data Security
Social Outcomes
Breaking the ICT Procurement Mould with a Certified Social Enterprise Supplier
By working with TechForGood, procurement teams can channel ICT budgets into a single certified supplier — making every dollar count toward SPF and VGPB ICT procurement targets, while complementing Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP) compliance strategies.
- Channel large ICT budgets into a single certified supplier.
- Count hardware, cloud, software, and professional services spend towards mandated quotas.
- Access Recover-E IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) for secure recycling, data wiping, and auditable reporting.
- Deliver measurable social impact alongside essential ICT procurement.
National Procurement Frameworks — SPF, VGPB, IPP and Beyond
While Victoria’s SPF and VGPB rules are the most advanced, obligations apply nationally.
- VIC: SPF & VGPB rules mandate social procurement.
- NSW: Procurement Policy Framework requires social + environmental outcomes.
- Commonwealth: IPP sets mandatory minimums for Indigenous suppliers.
- QLD, SA, WA, ACT: embedding social and sustainable procurement.
- Disability: ADEs recognised but limited capacity.
The common thread? Certification + evidence. Without them, spend does not count.
Learn how these frameworks align with our Value Chain.
Proof Through Impact — Social Enterprise Outcomes You Can Count
By partnering with TechForGood, organisations achieve compliance confidence, knowing every ICT dollar is recognised under SPF, VGPB, IPP, and other frameworks. But impact goes further than compliance. As a certified Social Enterprise and B Corp, TechForGood guarantees that every procurement decision also delivers measurable community outcomes:
The result is procurement built on an audit-first compliance model — defensible at audit, aligned with VAGO and ASRS reporting, and proudly delivering impact back to the community.
