Givvable, People and Planet First, the Queensland Social Enterprise Council (QSEC) and Local Buy have announced a groundbreaking partnership to significantly increase the visibility of verified social enterprises across Queensland.
Together, the partners aim to embed verified social enterprises and their environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials more clearly into procurement processes. The collaboration will support corporate buyers, local councils, and state and federal government agencies to more easily identify and engage social enterprises through the trusted government procurement platform VendorPanel.
As Queensland’s peak body for social enterprise, QSEC initiated this work following extensive consultation with social enterprises, local councils and government stakeholders. These discussions highlighted a clear opportunity to improve how social enterprises appear in procurement platforms, making it easier for buyers to discover goods and services that deliver both commercial value and positive community impact.
“There’s a growing demand for businesses that put people and planet first, and this partnership allows verified social enterprises in Queensland to be seen by Government and Councils for the purposes of procurement – big and small, metro and in the regions.”
— Adele Laughton, CEO, Queensland Social Enterprise Council
People and Planet First operates as a global network of networks. Launched in October 2023, it works with more than 70 partners worldwide to verify enterprises across more than 125 countries. In May 2024, QSEC, alongside all state, territory and national social enterprise peak bodies, formally endorsed the People and Planet First global standards as the common approach for identifying social enterprises in Australia.
“Our collaboration with QSEC and givvable aligns perfectly with our mission to create more opportunities for the visibility of all enterprises that put people and planet before profit. PPF is a banner to unite all of these businesses, no matter the terminology they use in their local context. By working together, we can accelerate progress towards adopting sustainable procurement policies.”
—Hina West, Global Impact Director for People and Planet First
Through this partnership, People and Planet First Verified social enterprises will gain increased visibility to corporate and government buyers, access to tailored ESG education and resources, and a unique business profile with automated mapping to sustainability and ESG frameworks. At the same time, buyers will benefit from clearer identification of verified social enterprises, streamlined access through VendorPanel, and referral pathways for suppliers that may be eligible for verification.
“As a mission-driven platform, givvable is thrilled to partner with QSEC and People and Planet First to increase visibility of PPF verified enterprises to corporate and government buyers globally. ”
—Frances Atkins, CEO of givvable
For government buyers, this collaboration provides a more efficient and consistent way to identify verified social enterprises within existing procurement processes. It supports stronger alignment with social procurement policies, ESG objectives and value-for-money requirements, while reducing the administrative burden on both buyers and suppliers. By improving visibility and verification at the point of procurement, government agencies can more confidently engage social enterprises and track social and environmental outcomes alongside commercial performance.
For local councils, the partnership makes it even easier to identify social enterprises operating within their regions. By improving visibility through familiar procurement platforms, councils can more quickly find local suppliers that deliver social, environmental and economic value. This supports place-based procurement, strengthens local economies and helps councils connect spending decisions with community outcomes.
“Local Buy is pleased to announce an exciting enhancement to our local government procurement technology program through a new partnership with Givvable and QSEC. By integrating People and Planet First (PPF) as an additional social standard identified within the Local Buy-funded state-wide source-to-contract platform (VendorPanel), we continue to support our 77 Queensland councils with their social procurement objectives.”
— Mike Waterland, General Manager of Local Buy.
About Queensland Social Enterprise Council (QSEC)QSEC is the peak body for social enterprise and purpose-led business in Queensland. We represent, support and advocate for the interests of social enterprises and social entrepreneurs to drive high social, cultural and environmental impact. For more information, visit www.qsec.org.au/ or contact hello@qsec.org.au
About givvable.com
givvable is a leading sustainability intelligence platform that empowers organisations to make informed decisions by tracking and assessing the sustainability credentials of suppliers and trading partners. Learn more at givvable.com. For more information, visit www.givvable.com or contact hello@givvable.com
About People and Planet First (PPF)
PPF is a network of impact networks dedicated to advancing social enterprise and sustainable business practices. Through its verification process and global partnerships, PPF promotes responsible business conduct and positive impact. PPF is stewarded by the Social Enterprise World Forum and was cocreated by a network of more than 35 impact networks from around the world. Learn more at www.peopleandplanetfirst.org For more information, contact verify@peopleandplanetfirst.org
About Local Buy
Local Buy helps meet legislative, reputation and compliance needs, simplifying the process by connecting organisations with pre-qualified local Queensland suppliers, big and small. This saves time and money and reduces an organisation’s need to tender, advertise and prepare contracts. For more information, visit www.localbuy.net.au or contact enquiry@localbuy.net.au
