Private and Public Procurement and the Social Economy Project

To respond to promoting the sustainable this increasingly important sector a second phase of the Government of Flanders funded “Public Procurement and the Social Economy” project has been approved from 1 January 2014 30 to Dec. 2016. The second phase of the project will build upon and expand the scope of first phase by geographically expanding into a second Province in South Africa and include promoting private sector procurement from the social enterprises. As result of this expansion the project will be called: Private and Public ProcurePrivate and Public Procurement and the Social Economy Project.
In South Africa, there is fast increasing interest in the social economy as a sector that can provide decent employment and social protection. For example, the New Growth Path (NGP) adopted in late 2010 by the South African Government identifies social economy development as one pillar of the national development strategy framework. Also, the South Africa Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) drawn up by organized business, organized labour and Government in consultation with ILO and governed by the national Economic Development and Labour Administration Council (Nedlac) identifies the development of the social economy as a strategic means leading towards the creation of jobs in sustainable enterprises.
To respond to promoting the sustainable this increasingly important sector a second phase of the Government of Flanders funded “Public Procurement and the Social Economy” project has been approved from 1 January 2014 30 to Dec. 2016. The second phase of the project will build upon and expand the scope of first phase by geographically expanding into a second Province in South Africa and include promoting private sector procurement from the social enterprises. As result of this expansion the project will be called: Private and Public Procurement and the Social Economy.
The new project will support social economy businesses in South Africa to penetrate the regulatory space for the preferential procurement of their goods and services through Government and the corporate sector. It will do this (1) with a mix of advocacy and policy advisory services targeted at procurement officials in Government and public and private sector corporate business, and (2) through capacity building support for owner-managers of social enterprises.

The overall outcome of the project is more and better jobs for men and women in sustainable social enterprises, here with geographic focus on social enterprises operating in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province and the Free State Province.

The immediate project outcomes are:

1. Increased appreciation among stakeholders on the role of public and corporate procurement as a stimulus for employment creation in the social economy
2. A more conducive enabling environment for public and private sector procurement from social enterprises
3. Improved breadth and depth of supply with tailored business support services for aspiring, emerging and established social entrepreneurs.

The intermediate beneficiaries of the project are:

• Municipal level and provincial level Government officials tasked with procurement (where policy dialogue on social economy development is concerned also national level Government officials)
• Procurement officers and CSR officers in corporate business tasked with community contracting/SME contracting.
• Trainers and training programme coordinators in social business development services organizations.

The ultimate beneficiaries of the proposed project are:

• emerging and established social entrepreneurs and their workers in the target municipalities, with emphasis on priority sectors identified by the PPSE project since 2012. As local social business development support organizations are rolling out the training services introduced through PPSE since 2012, the spectrum of social businesses supported through the project is will broaden further.

For more information about the Private and Public Procurement and the Social Economy Project please contact the ILO Pretoria Office & Decent Work Country Team for East and Southern Africa
Ms. Cebisile Nyambe: [email protected]
Ms. Grania Mackie [email protected]
+27 (0)12 818 800