Boost to the Social Economy
nearbuyou
Unique social trading exchange to launch next month will give a major
boost to social enterprises
B2B marketplaces, e-exchanges, e-marketplaces, web exchanges - the list
goes on. The world of online trading exchanges is in its infancy and
the terminology has yet to crystallise. The private sector though has
been quick to grasp the benefits. Online trading is a highly efficient
tool for driving costs out of the supply chain and can deliver all
sorts of procurement benefits, including much reduced transaction costs
and faster identification of new suppliers.
Yet to date, the thousands of organisations that represent Britain's
third sector, the social economy, have been left in the cold. That will
start to change on October 2004 when nearbuyou.co.uk is rolled out
nationally. A free service to businesses with social objectives, users
will be able to share news and information on forthcoming events,
advertise goods and services, identify and trade with other
organisations and develop new networks and partnerships.
www.nearbuyou.co.uk will also offer a facility that enables private and
public sector service providers to post information on forthcoming
tenders and guidance will be available on bidding and income
generation.
A myriad of organisations providing services such as managed housing,
social care and operators of arts centres, cinemas and community cafes
are expected to benefit. "www.nearbuyou.co.uk is a pioneering project
and the only one of its kind in the country," said Michael Waring,
Network Organiser of The Guild, a leading provider of consultancy and
training services to the voluntary sector and social enterprises, which
is managing the project. "The aim of it is to give social enterprises
across the country access to a much greater range of commercial
opportunities and act as a focal point for information sharing in a way
that has never been attempted before."
nearbuyou.co.uk evolved as a national initiative following work
undertaken by The Guild to map the social economy and its requirements
to develop and grow. "That research identified a need for local
enterprises to trade with each other to keep money circulating in the
sector," Waring commented. "It also became obvious that a mechanism
was needed to increase the size of the markets open to social
enterprises and to improve their capability to take on public sector
contracts."
Nationally, spearhead organisations like the Social Enterprise
Coalition have recognised that there is great untapped potential for
social enterprises to take on a much higher profile in delivering
public sector contracts. Nearbuyou.co.uk will alert social enterprise
managers to forthcoming tenders and how to compete more effectively for
contracts.
Nearbuyou.co.uk will also educate and share good practice with public
sector procurement officers who may not be familiar with the added
value of using social enterprises. "For example, providing care
services in the home to some vulnerable groups is a statutory
obligation," said Waring. "If providing that service can also be
used to generate employment opportunities for people within the
community who might otherwise struggle to find work and trading
surpluses are re-invested in training and staff development then there
is obviously a huge additional benefit."
"Ethical sourcing generally is also a big growth area, but many
organisations are unsure of where to go and don't have the time to
source all their requirements separately. Ultimately, we aim to offer
an enormous range of goods and services through a single sourcing
point," he added.
Gt Yarmouth and Waveney Mind is typical of the organisations that
nearbuyou.co.uk hopes to benefit. Pippa Windham, Service Development
Officer is keen that the organisation should grow its trading and
income generating activities as a counterbalance to reliance on grants
and charitable donations. She commented. "We need to create social
business opportunities which will provide us with the financial
independence to sustain ourselves. Many charities are evolving in this
way and can benefit greatly from sharing information and opportunities
with other socially minded organisations. Developing partnerships and
networks can be very time consuming so we welcome this opportunity to
gain access to others and be readily accessible ourselves via the web
site. Any initiative that raises our profile with public sector
procurement officers is also to be welcomed."