An image of Amarjeet speaking to a group of a people. The text overlay reads: "Public Services Policy: Social and Values-Based Procurement"
Social and values-based procurement
September 3, 2021

We all contribute to the investments we make in our city, and we should all share in the benefits. When our public money is used to pay for goods, services and infrastructure, more priority should be given to local suppliers and builders that add social, environmental and economic value to our communities.

Procurement is one of the most powerful tools the City has to boost our local economy, improve equity and support our shared city goals. 

The way the City is doing procurement right now isn’t working. By accepting the lowest bids, we often lose out on quality and local economic benefits. Accepting bids based solely on the lowest cost is short-sighted and often results in cost overruns, scope creep, low quality,  expensive continuous repairs and, ultimately, inadequate services for Edmontonians. Not only do we get less value, but we also end up paying more in cost overruns by having to fix work not done right the first time.

We cannot risk Edmonton’s long-term fiscal stability and health by continuing to use procurement practices and processes that do not match our goals as a City.

I am committed to implementing a predictable and streamlined procurement process that respects existing legislation, can keep costs reasonable, supports local businesses and helps us prioritize quality services in the early stages of projects.

Prioritizing Social Procurement

Social procurement means restructuring the city’s contracting process to give local companies that provide good jobs a fair chance to succeed, keeping money here in our local economy.

Edmontonians must benefit from public dollars, and this should be reflected in the city’s contracting criteria. What does this mean? 

  • Keeping money in the local economy—structuring the bidding process so local employers have a fair chance at success.
  • Contractors should demonstrate workforce diversity and equity and provide opportunities for their employees to advance in their chosen careers. 
  • Ensuring contractors hired by the City treat their employees properly, in everything from fair pay and benefits to safe working conditions.

We must strengthen the City’s existing Sustainable Procurement Policy to ensure it aligns with the City’s goals and works as intended. Companies that offer benefits by hiring locally, being environmentally conscious, and supporting social outcomes are already contributing to our communities and they should be recognized for it through city procurement criteria. 

And with a fuller set of criteria for awarding contracts, projects are more likely to be completed without delays, errors and cost overruns.

What Can the City Do?

I will direct City administration to work collaboratively with local businesses, including racialized and Indigenous and women-led businesses,  labour organizations and community groups like Women Building Futures, End Poverty Edmonton and their partners to collaborate on building a streamlined process for employers, workforce development agencies and skills training facilities to help build the capacity of local vendors.

My proposed Business Advocate Office will serve as a resource to support local small and new businesses lacking the immediate capacity to craft a bid.  

I will work with Council and Administration to establish clear targets, metrics, and accountabilities for vendors and for the City to measure our impact on the local economy, equity achieved and good jobs created – jobs for tradespeople and workers. 

We can strengthen our existing agreements and processes to ensure social procurement is included in every Request for Proposal (RFP).

We can close the policy loopholes currently being used to sidestep the procurement process. 

Social Procurement That Supports Local

The procurement process is crucial for any city—when carried out with all citizens in mind, it can have a significant positive impact on so many people.

Let’s use social procurement to revamp how the City does business; it will be good for our local economy, our local employers, and our community overall. 

#SOHIFORMAYOR
Share on facebook
Share
Share on twitter
Share
Share on whatsapp
Share