How to put socialprocurement into practice

A packing run, assembly job or rework project can be a practical place to start with social procurement. Define the work, confirm what your organisation wants to achieve and agree how the result will be measured before awarding the job.

Social procurement uses purchasing to create social value alongside the goods or services being bought. For a production buyer, that means connecting an employment, training or supplier-inclusion objective to work that needs doing, with clear quality standards and delivery dates.

The approach can be used across markets, but the qualifying suppliers, commitments and evidence depend on the buyer's policy, the contract and applicable local requirements. Start with those specifics rather than assuming a label or certification will be recognised everywhere.

Start with the objective behind the request. Is the buyer seeking spend with a recognised supplier category, employment opportunities or a training commitment within a larger contract? Ask the procurement owner to confirm the measure, location, reporting period and evidence required.

Separate the route to the outcome from the outcome itself. Buying directly from a social enterprise and buying through a managed production network involve different contracting arrangements. Confirm who will invoice the buyer, where production will take place and how that arrangement will satisfy the stated requirement.

For a programme spanning several countries, agree which measures can be compared across locations and which need local definitions. A supplier's social purpose does not, on its own, establish eligibility under a particular purchasing policy.

Sodexo's FY2025 Impact Sourcing Report describes more than €2.8 billion spent with 30,296 small and medium enterprises across 33 countries, including €56 million with work integration social enterprises. These are Sodexo's reported purchasing figures, not targets for another buyer. The separate categories matter: total SME spend is not the same measure as spend with social enterprises.

Unilever's global supplier qualification guidance takes another useful approach: a common supplier system supports due diligence that considers the goods or services being sourced and the countries where partners operate. This is broader responsible sourcing, but the practical lesson applies here too. Use a consistent process and check the specific delivery context.

For a packing or assembly programme, start with a defined job and a measure you can verify. A large company's reported spending figure illustrates scale; it does not tell you whether your proposed job qualifies or what outcome it will create.

Start with a defined package of work. That might be assembling a product, preparing campaign materials or repacking a known quantity of stock. Describe the finished result, the components supplied, the handling requirements and the delivery destination.

Keep the commercial and quality requirements clear. Confirm that the proposed facility can handle the product and that the schedule allows for materials, production and any required customer approval. If customer production-sample approval is needed, name the authorised reviewer and agree when that approval must be received.

A usable assembly and kitting brief gives the production team a common reference. Add the social commitment and evidence request to that same brief so neither becomes an afterthought.

Check the contracting entity against the category your buyer recognises. Where a certification, supplier register or ownership category is required, confirm the accepted evidence and check that it is current. Establish whether the requirement applies to the invoicing entity, the production facility or both. For work delivered through a managed network, have the procurement owner confirm the proposed arrangement before award. Agree what can be reported and who will check it. Use the following as a starting point for that conversation.

Count finished production against the specification. Report eligible spend and employment or training outcomes using their own agreed measures. A production quantity cannot establish all three.

For example, a job calls for 2,000 assembled packs. Inspection accepts 1,920, while 80 need correction. The production report should show both quantities and the plan for resolving the outstanding work. It should not convert the accepted pack count into employment hours or eligible spend.

If hours are part of the commitment, agree whose time counts and how work shared across jobs will be allocated. If the commitment concerns jobs created, hours worked alone do not demonstrate that result. Keep the definition consistent between the proposal and the final report.

Agree reporting dates and a process for changes before production begins. A revised quantity, different production location or delayed component may affect the delivery plan and the social commitment. Raise the change while the buyer and production team still have time to respond.

Name the person who prepares the evidence and the person who reviews it. For work across several facilities or countries, use a common reporting format while retaining the location, period and local definition behind each result. Check that the same spend or activity is not counted twice when reports are combined.

At the end, reconcile what was ordered, what was accepted and what remains unresolved. Report the social measure for the agreed period, with any shortfall explained. If a worker's story or photograph is proposed for wider use, obtain permission for that use separately.

CleverPak manages packing, assembly and rework through a production network, supported by CleverPak Connect. Our approach to social impact links production work with opportunities for meaningful employment.

Share the product details, quantity, destination and required date, together with the social procurement clause and reporting needs. The CleverPak Team can assess the production requirement and discuss the evidence your procurement team needs to evaluate the proposed arrangement.