Now, more than ever before, large companies are looking for opportunities to procure from businesses and suppliers that can demonstrate a commitment to positive social or environmental change. But how do you make sure you are best positioned to find out about these opportunities, start the conversations and win new business?

Who is it for?

This workshop is aimed at SMEs that are Social Enterprises, social entrepreneurs, enterprising charities or purposeful businesses in Oxfordshire, seeking to secure procurement opportunities from buyers in Oxfordshire.

What will I learn?

Attendees to this workshop will:

• Learn what procurement, and social procurement, is.

• Understand your business requirements to prepare for procurement.

• Find out how your social impact fits into procurement, and how to measure it.

• Effective lead generation and pitching.

• Understand what documentation you may need to prepare.

• Find out about some of the buyers procuring in Oxfordshire, and the procurement processes they use.

• Learn more about a ‘Meet The Buyer’ event in February 2023 to enable introductions and start conversations between buyers and social impact suppliers. How to be ‘Social Procurement ready’ as an Oxfordshire-based social impact enterprise to secure larger contracts, enter a procurement process and grow.

Share with a friend

Does this workshop sound useful for someone you know? Share this link to invite them to join.

About the panelists

Paul Roberts

Paul is the Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning housing and employment charity and social enterprise, Aspire, and a Director of Aspire’s trading company, Aspire Enterprise Services. Paul joined Aspire in 2012 and has been at the forefront of significant organisational growth. Paul is also a co-founder of the Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, a Director of Makespace Oxford (Community Interest Company) and a Director of the Oxfordshire Social Entrepreneurship Partnership (OSEP CIC). Prior to joining Aspire, Paul was a British Diplomat for six years. Paul previously volunteered at Asylum Welcome in Oxford and as a Generalist Adviser for the Citizens’ Advice Bureaux. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy.

Aspire, is one of six eScalate Enterprise Hubs in Oxfordshire.

Beth Pilgrim is CEO and Co-founder of Supply Change. Supply Change connects organisations looking for goods and services with social enterprise suppliers who can deliver quality and a positive impact. They do this through a platform of pre-vetted social enterprises and social procurement services, including spend analysis, impact assessment and events. Supply Change is a female founded social enterprise shortlisted by Natwest and Pioneers Post 4 years in a row as a top 100 social enterprise in the UK. Beth is also a member of the Social Value UK Advisory Board.

Nicky Atkin is the Director of Corporate Services at ODS. She trained as a teacher in 1996 and the following year took up post as a Community Development Officer with Oxford City Council. The next 19 years were spent in various different roles within the Council, the last of which was as a Commercial Manager heading up the procurement team. In 2016 Nicky left the Council and joined Amey PLC to experience the corporate world of procurement. It was at Amey that Nicky caught the Social Value bug and was privileged to work alongside their decorated Social Value team. Nicky joined Oxford Direct Services Ltd in June 2021 as Director, Corporate Services and has been instrumental in pushing the Social Value agenda ahead within the organisation.

John Robbins has been the Purchasing Manager for the IT Category at the University of Oxford since 2019. He is responsible for putting strategic agreements in place with vendors to ensure departments and faculties across the University purchase goods and services responsibly. As a member of the University Purchasing Department, he is keen to embed more social value into University procurement activities.

About the eScalate Programme

eScalate, is a three-year project, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which runs until April 2023 to support Social Enterprises, social entrepreneurs, enterprising charities and purposeful businesses in Oxfordshire.

Support includes:

• one to ones
• workshops
• peer support sessions

Please note that this event is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is delivered as part of the eScalate programme to help SMEs. By engaging in this programme you are being offered assistance under the De Minimis regulation which allows a company to receive up to but not exceeding €200,000 of public funding (at the applicable exchange rate) of De Minimis aid over a rolling three-tax year fiscal period. This De Minimis declaration does not cover undertakings engaged in: the primary production of agricultural goods and fisheries/aquaculture, road freight, services of general economic interest and export related activities and activities favouring domestic over imported goods. Please note, support cannot be given to undertakings (businesses) in difficulty. In order to receive support from this programme, you will be required to complete an application form and other relevant documentation. If you need to check your current position for state aid please contact us. If you would like any further information on De Minimis aid and Special Drawing Rights (SDR) subsidies, please see the state aid page on the OxLEP Business website:

https://oxlepbusiness.co.uk/state-aid