A Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation includes social impact purchasing requirements that will create employment opportunities for British Columbians receiving income and disability assistance.

The RFP invites qualified service providers to submit proposals for security services at 15 Social Development and Social Innovation offices in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley area. To meet the social impact requirements of the contract, the successful proponent will be required to recruit and fill job vacancies with individuals who receive income or disability assistance.

Proponents responding to the RFP are asked to identify the number of individuals they would hire who are on income or disability assistance. The successful proponent will work with WorkBC Employment Service Centres to advertise job opportunities, recruit and hire individuals on income or disability assistance for vacant positions and provide training opportunities to successful hires.

Social impact will be weighted at 20% during the evaluation process, along with criteria including the service provider’s capabilities, approach and price.

In March 2015, the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation launched social impact purchasing guidelines. The guidelines require ministry staff to consider social value, in addition to financial value, when they are buying goods and services. This includes small purchases, like catering for meetings, as well as contracts for the delivery of ministry services.

The ministry recently posted two Invitations to Quote (ITQs) for security services at Social Development and Social Innovation offices that contain social impact components. An ITQ for locations in Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford and Mission includes social impact requirements in areas including social enterprise, community benefits and job opportunities for individuals who are in receipt of income assistance, individuals with barriers to employment or individuals who are otherwise marginalized. Successful proponents for an  ITQ released in February 2016 for security services for Vancouver Island, the Interior and Northern B.C. Social Development and Social Innovation offices identified a variety of social impacts, including environmentally sustainable business practices, working with local agencies to hire people with barriers to employment and hiring through inclusive processes.

The ministry has also made purchases from B.C. social enterprises, including Coco Café in Nanaimo, HAVE Café and Potluck Café in Vancouver, and Skookum Food and Coffee in Victoria using social impact purchasing guidelines.

The RFP and ITQ for security services are available on the BC Bid website.

May is Social Enterprise Month in British Columbia. Throughout the month the hashtag #Impact4BC will connect people in a conversation about Social Enterprise and Social Innovation in the province. Visit HubcapBC.ca, B.C.’s online social innovation hub, to find Social Enterprise Month events and learn more about social innovation in B.C.

Quotes:

Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation Michelle Stilwell –

“By adopting a social impact approach, we’re using our purchasing power to drive change, stimulate innovation, achieve the ministry’s goals and improve social outcomes for British Columbians. By considering the broader impact of our purchase decisions we are creating social value for the ministry and our communities.”

David LePage, Buy Social Canada –

“Every purchase has an economic ripple effect, and also, the potential to create social benefits. The province’s leadership to leverage an existing purchasing expenditure for security services to create targeted employment goals has to be commended. It is an important step toward increasing the total value created through taxpayer funded procurement to increase employment opportunities and economic development across the province.”

Quick Facts:

• The RFP’s expected term of the contract is 12 months for the period July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017. The contract may be extended up to an additional three years.
• The Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation provides services that help people achieve sustainable employment and assist individuals and families in need in order to help British Columbians achieve their full economic and social potential.
• Actively seeking suppliers who support British Columbians in need to participate more actively in their communities, find employment, and achieve greater independence aligns with the ministry’s goals.
• After launching its social impact purchasing guidelines, the ministry received “Buy Social” certification from Buy Social Canada, which works to encourage social value purchasing across the public, private and community sectors.
• The B.C. government co-chairs the BC Partners for Social Impact, created in 2012 to implement the council’s recommendations and support social innovation in B.C. The Partners for Social Impact now includes more than 100 multi-sector partners such as Vancity, Simon Fraser University, Telus and the Business Development Bank of Canada.
• Partner resources like Hubcapbc.ca provide resources and opportunities for social innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, funders, and public policy makers to connect with each other.

Learn More:

Read more about the Ministry’s Social Impact Purchasing Guidelines: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/business/social-innovation

BC Bid website: http://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca/

Buy Social Canada: http://buysocialcanada.ca/

To learn more about B.C.’s Social Innovation and Social Enterprise sector or find events and activities around B.C., visit: www.hubcapbc.ca/

Get information on the BC Partners for Social Impact: www.sdsi.gov.bc.ca/social-innovation/index.htm

Find out how to start a social enterprise: www.socialenterprisecanada.ca

Join the conversation by following @HubcapBC on twitter and use #Impact4BC.