Frequently
Asked
Questions

  • Social procurement is the practice of purchasing goods and services in a way that intentionally creates positive social and environmental impact.

    It involves directing spending toward organisations that generate community benefits, such as creating jobs for disadvantaged groups, supporting local economies, or protecting the environment. Alongside cost and quality, buyers consider social value as part of their decision-making.

  • The social economy refers to organisations that prioritise social or environmental purpose alongside financial sustainability.

    It includes social enterprises, cooperatives, charities, community businesses, and impact-driven companies. These organisations reinvest profits into their mission and play a key role in addressing social challenges through market-based solutions.

    The social economy is recognised by the United Nations as a key drive of sustainable development and one of the six pillars of the European Commission’s economic strategy.

  • Social procurement helps corporations create shared value while strengthening their supply chains.

    By purchasing from social enterprises, large organisations can:

    ·       Support community development

    ·       Advance ESG and sustainability goals

    ·       Improve brand reputation

    ·       Build more resilient supplier networks

    ·       It enables companies to align commercial success with social responsibility.

  • Ethical procurement focuses on avoiding harm, while social procurement focuses on creating positive impact.

    Ethical procurement typically addresses issues such as labour standards, human rights, and environmental compliance. Social procurement goes further by actively supporting suppliers that deliver measurable positive social and environmental benefits.

  • Social procurement can support leaders in key drivers such as:

    ·       Business development – linking to client expectations and government legislation

    ·       Employee engagement

    ·       Supply chain innovation

    ·       Linking to wider corporate strategy

    All without spending more money – over 90% of social enterprises are cost neutral or better than their incumbents.

  • telos can support businesses by:

    • helping them understand current spend with the social economy

    • connecting businesses to new supply chain opportunities

    • linking to corporate peers in the social procurement space

    • reporting on the impact of spend

    • setting strategy and linking to wider corporate drivers