British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI)
Purchasing that benefits people, planet, and community.
Purpose
To support local government and institutions to implement social procurement best practices to build community well-being and resilience.
Vision
To improve the health of our communities and the strength of our economies by changing the culture of public sector procurement.
Mission
We work with local governments and institutions in British Columbia to build capacity through training, consulting, resources, and support to implement purchasing that achieves community goals.
Are the dollars you spend benefiting your local community?
In British Columbia, local governments and other large purchasers spend billions of dollars each year on goods, services and infrastructure projects. By incorporating social procurement practices this purchasing power could support the local economy, mitigate climate change, contribute to reconciliation, and provide many additional community benefits.
Social procurement is a growing best practice to align broader policy objectives with spending to achieve better value for money. The British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI) aims to take this best practice thinking and approach, and help build a more resilient and more inclusive Province.
What is BCSPI?
The British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI) is a shared learning hub for local governments and other public purchasers across British Columbia that provides the capacity building, training, tools, and expertise required to integrate social procurement into existing purchasing practices.
BCSPI makes implementing social procurement manageable and achievable by adding capacity with templates, tools, the BCSPI Community of Practice, and examples to support the heavy lifting involved in implementing new organizational practices and procedures.
To date, BCSPI has helped more than 40 governments and public purchasers across British Columbia realize over $750 million in spending with added social and sustainable value. By mobilizing their existing procurement dollars to address social and environmental challenges, BCSPI members are creating stronger and more resilient local economies.
BCSPI services are delivered by Buy Social Canada.
Learn more about BCSPI
BCSPI’s Impact
The opportunity behind social procurement cannot be understated. Our communities face many complex challenges, including climate change, affordability, and other social issues. Ensuring public spending looks beyond price and quality and considers these social and environmental issues can provide an important tool for local governments that supports creating vibrant and healthy communities. In particular, local government spending can be a significant lever to generate positive community impacts for smaller communities and those in economic transition.
Read the BCSPI Annual Impact Report for 2022-23 to see a snapshot of the impact at a glance, as well as in depth stories and examples of implementation and outcomes amongst BCSPI members. The report showcases the immense collective power of public organizations to support the creation of healthy, vibrant communities.
Read the Impact Report