How to incubate a successful Indigenous owned construction company: the story of Barpa and key lessons shared
This University of Technology Sydney case study follows how Indigenous builder Barpa grew from a $50,000 first job with backing from construction company Icon. It shares the key lessons for buyers who want to help Indigenous businesses scale up.
Social procurement in construction: Sydney Metro case study (2-part special report)
This two-part special report looks at how Sydney Metro ran its social procurement program. As at January 2024, about 48% of jobs on its projects under construction had gone to people from Greater Western Sydney, with $321 million invested in Aboriginal participation and 4,163 previously long-term unemployed people engaged.
Pushing the boundaries of Aboriginal social procurement on the Rozelle Interchange Project
On Sydney's Rozelle Interchange, the John Holland CPB Contractors joint venture required every commercial tender to include an Aboriginal subcontractor. This University of Technology Sydney best-practice case study looks at how the project approached its 1.5% Aboriginal spend commitment under the NSW Aboriginal Participation in Construction policy.
Hardy Fencing: safe solutions for remote communities
Indigenous-owned Alice Springs business Hardy Fencing built a snake-proof fence at the Kaltukatjara (Docker River) aged care facility, working for prime contractor Intract Australia. The project shows how subcontracting to local Indigenous businesses can deliver practical results for remote communities.
Kany Bidi and Laing O'Rourke: one clear path for traffic management and Indigenous employment
Former AFL player Michael Johnson's traffic management business Kany Bidi has grown alongside Laing O'Rourke across six major projects in Perth, with contracts now worth $14.5 million. The business averages 65% or more Aboriginal employment and delivered over 40,000 hours of traffic management on the Swan River Crossings Project.
Lessons In Procurement With A Purpose From Australia’s Social Enterprise Pioneers
After an introduction through Social Traders, SAP Australia became a customer of Goodwill Wine, a social enterprise that donates 50% of its profits to charity. The story shares SAP's lessons on building purpose into everyday corporate purchasing.
Government procurement teams have the power to drive real change
The NSW Department of Communities and Justice buys courier and cleaning services from Flourish Australia across 36 sites. In 2023 the $2.9 million spend created $860,000 in economic value and employed 18 people facing barriers to work, showing government buyers can secure quality services and social impact together.
A partnership creating seeds of change: Natura Pacific and Yarrabilba
Since 2016, environmental consultancy Natura Pacific has worked with three Queensland prisons on native seed conservation for the Yarrabilba community. More than 7 million seeds from 136 species have been preserved and over 43,000 plants grown for 54 locations, creating training and work for people in custody.
Blend Creative's transformative collaboration with Australia Post
Australia Post engaged Blend Creative, a disability-inclusive social enterprise, to work on its Accessibility and Inclusion Plan. The project gave eight staff with disability 96 hours of training and showed how values-aligned procurement can deliver quality creative work.
Working with social enterprise for a sustainable future
Since 2022, Hanson has bought native plants from Nugal Biik Plants and Seeds, a social enterprise nursery run by Whittlesea Community Connections, to revegetate its Wollert Resource Park in Victoria. The first year targeted more than 10,000 plants, supporting local jobs and biodiversity together.
Your retired tech has the power to feed Australians and drive ESG wins
Since 2018, Nando's has sent its retired IT equipment to PonyUp for Good, a social enterprise that refurbishes technology and gives half its profits to food rescue charity SecondBite. The work has diverted more than 600,000 kg of e-waste and funded over one million meals.
Delivering organisational values through social enterprises
Nando's ANZ uses social procurement to live its organisational values, buying window cleaning and plant care from Cleanable in Victoria and services from Green Connect in New South Wales. Both social enterprises create jobs for people facing barriers to work.
One introduction made a national impact
A January 2024 introduction through Social Traders connected Heidelberg Materials with textile recycling social enterprise RCYCL. A 48-site pilot diverted 6,766 kg of textile and PPE waste from landfill, and the partnership now covers more than 430 sites nationally.
Assembled Threads and Icon: 2023 National Social Procurement Trailblazers
Construction company Icon worked with social enterprise Assembled Threads to supply hi-vis vests made from recycled materials, and shifted a PPE contract to social suppliers. The partnership was named a 2023 National Social Procurement Trailblazer in the Social Traders Game Changer Awards.
Yarra Trams and Travellers Aid: transforming accessibility
Since 2021, Yarra Trams has engaged Travellers Aid to support people with mobility challenges on Melbourne's tram network during major events and service disruptions. By 2023, Travellers Aid had supported 9,671 people, making public transport more accessible for everyone.
Innovation for inclusion: Australia's first social impact kiosk
Lendlease partnered with social enterprise Meals with Impact to open Australia's first social impact kiosk. Women from refugee and migrant backgrounds prepare culturally inspired meals at a Lendlease site, combining paid work, training and inclusion.
Leading through inclusion: CPB Contractors and CareerSeekers
A commercial arrangement between CPB Contractors and CareerSeekers has grown into a workforce inclusion partnership for people from refugee backgrounds. Since 2018, 148 internships for 79 participants have led to 57 permanent jobs, a 72% conversion rate, with $500,000 invested.
Case Study: Ventia and Australian Spatial Analytics – Leveraging Local Supply Chain Spend for Social Value and Impact
Since mid-2021, Ventia has bought spatial design work for its nbn projects from Australian Spatial Analytics (ASA), a not-for-profit social enterprise that trains and employs young people with autism. The work grew from as-built drawings into other design tasks, and ASA won the 2022 Queensland and NT regional Social Traders Game Changer Award.
Mirvac's not wasting a chance to give back
Mirvac contracts Mates on the Move, a social enterprise employing people leaving the corrections system, to collect problem waste from 19 of its Sydney office buildings. About 695 tonnes have been diverted from landfill since 2017, and the contract helped Mates on the Move grow to more than 100 buildings.
Change happens at the speed of trust
A 2021 tender for washroom soap grew into a partnership worth over $1 million a year between Charter Hall and Two Good Co, a social enterprise supporting women leaving family violence and homelessness. Two Good now supplies close to 20,000 litres of washroom products a year to Charter Hall buildings.