Victorian major infrastructure projects social procurement results released

The Victorian Government has released its first Social Procurement Framework annual report for 2018-19.

The report shows the framework has prompted at least $32 million to be invested in more than 250 social enterprises. It also shows $4.6 million was invested in 51 organisations to support people with a disability and $16.7 million was invested in Victorian Aboriginal businesses and organisations.

The Victorian Social Procurement Framework leverages the government’s buying power to drive increased value for money in all of the goods, services and construction it procures.

The framework is made up of 10 objectives, three sustainable and seven social. These include things like opportunity for disadvantaged workers or Aboriginal people, women’s equality, support of Victorian regions, environmentally sustainable outputs and business practices, and the implementation of climate change policy objectives.

Any Victorian Government projects or activity worth more than $50 million dollars must include targets and contract requirements that pursue social and sustainable procurement objectives.

Some of Victoria’s major road and rail programs which the framework applies to are; the Level Crossing Removal Project, Major Road Projects Victoria, North East Link Project, Rail Projects Victoria and the West Gate Tunnel project.

These major programs spent $67.6 million with Victorian Aboriginal businesses and organisations, while recording 415, 392 Aboriginal employment hours in 2018-19.

Rail Projects Victoria recorded 15, 204 employment hours for refugees. Rail Projects Victoria and North East Link Project recorded 36, 413 hours for long-term unemployed and 6432 hours for disengaged young people.

The Rail Infrastructure Alliance and North East Link Project recorded more than 4000 employment hours for people with a disability.

In championing women’s equality in the workplace, currently 42 women are employed as part of the alliance delivery team on the Ballarat Line Upgrade. This constitutes around 20 per cent of the entire project workforce.

In working towards the sustainability objectives within the framework, recycled plastic railway sleepers were installed near Wyndham Vale Train Station. The sleepers used 64 tonnes of plastic waste that would have otherwise gone to landfill.

Across four major infrastructure projects the report found a total reduction of 41, 059 tonnes of CO2e13. These projects were the Mernda Rail Extension, North East Program Alliance – Hurstbridge Stage 1, North West Program Alliance – comprising Camp Road, Skye Road and Frankston Station, Western Program Alliance – Kororoit Creek Road, Abbotts Road.

After the announcement of a $2.5 million Victorian Government program to develop markets for recovered resources, Australia’s first asphalt road mix using RAP, toner from printer cartridges, glass fines and soft plastics was developed.

The Downer Group, in partnership with Hume City Council, Close the Loop and RED Group were behind the mix’s creation that led to the construction of a road in Craigieburn. This project used 530,000 recycled plastic bags and packaging, 170,000 recycled glass bottles, 12500 toners used from printer cartridges and 130 tonnes of RAP.

Many other major Victorian road and rail projects have provided recycling and sustainability opportunities. In collaboration with industry, the government projects have used the following resources:

456, 543 tonnes of recycled crushed concrete/masonry