SUPPLY NATION
Since 2009, Supply Nation has worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses, along with procurement teams from government and corporate Australia to help shape today’s emerging and rapidly evolving Indigenous business sector into a prosperous, vibrant, and sustainable sector.
Supply Nation partners with its paid membership of government, corporate and not-for-profit organisations to develop procurement policies that modify, and redirect spend to include the traditionally underutilised Indigenous business sector.
Your Safety factory is proudly 100% Indigenous owned and a Supply Nation Certified business. We are deeply passionate about increasing Indigenous business opportunities that in turn help us to support the health, wellbeing, and education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Supply Nation has a vision of a prosperous, vibrant and sustainable Indigenous business sector, and they work toward that:
Understanding
By driving understanding that the purchasing power of businesses can be used to deliver positive social outcomes. Supplier diversity has significant and measurable long-term business benefits. Supply Nation membership can be a catalyst for growth in your organisation as your procurement team unlocks the potential and value of including Indigenous businesses in your supply chain.
Connecting
By facilitating connections between Indigenous businesses and their members’ procurement departments, including listing on Australia’s biggest and most high profile directory of Indigenous businesses which is mandated as the first port of call for Federal Government procurement officers looking for Indigenous businesses to fulfil their targets under the Indigenous Procurement Policy.
Auditing
Through their world-leading 5-step verification (registration, certification and audit) process, which provides peace of mind that the businesses on Supply Nation's Indigenous Business Direct are truly Indigenous owned. Supply Nation membership provides the support to provide a level playing field for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suppliers.
The Indigenous Procurement Policy
The primary purpose of the Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP) is to stimulate Indigenous entrepreneurship, business and economic development, providing Indigenous Australians with more opportunities to participate in the economy.
Prior to the implementation of the policy, Indigenous enterprises secured limited business from Commonwealth procurement. The policy is intended to significantly increase the rate of purchasing from Indigenous enterprises.
How the IPP works:
- Annual targets for the volume and value of contracts to be awarded to Indigenous enterprises by the Commonwealth and each Portfolio.
- The Mandatory Set Aside (MSA) requires that Indigenous businesses be given an opportunity to demonstrate value for money before a general approach to market. The MSA applies to procurements to be delivered in remote Australia and for all other procurements wholly delivered in Australia valued between $80,000‑$200,000 (GST inclusive).
- Indigenous employment and business participation targets apply to contracts wholly delivered in Australia valued at $7.5 million or more in 19 industries, known as Mandatory Minimum Indigenous Participation Requirements (MMR).
Exemption 16 of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules allows portfolios to procure directly with Indigenous small to medium size enterprises, provided the enterprise can demonstrate value for money.
The success of the IPP is measured by:
- An increase in the number of Indigenous businesses awarded a contract
- An increase in the volume and value of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses.
Since 2015, the IPP has performed well against these KPIs, generating over $5.3 billion in contracting opportunities for Indigenous businesses. This has involved over 35,763 contracts awarded to more than 2,140 Indigenous businesses.
