Events

Buy Social – all you need to know

Buy Social is a way to maximise the benefits from public procurement in terms of personal well-being, social cohesion and inclusion, equal opportunities and sustainable development and is the policy of the Northern Ireland Executive.  In 2015 the Procurement Board agreed the Strategic Review of Social Clauses and the Buy Social Construction model for implementation from April 2016.  From this date onwards, the Buy Social requirements are to be used in procurement above £2m for buildings contracts and above £4m for civil engineering contracts.

RSUA has partnered with the Strategic Investment Board (who lead on the initiative) to deliver this two hour seminar, which will focus on the information and knowledge that architects need to deliver contracts with social clauses.  This seminar is designed to give a detailed knowledge of the Buy Social Approach for Construction for Professional Services teams who are delivering construction contracts for public bodies, either in a procurement or contract management role.

Course content

This seminar will cover:

• Buy Social Construction model
• The policy framework for Buy Social
• Criteria for New Entrant Trainee eligibility.
• How Buy Social is included in tendering process
• How to set Buy Social targets in construction build and civils contracts.
• Reporting on delivery against Buy Social targets.
• Support available for contractors and contract managers.

Speaker info

Esther Barnes is the Buy Social Development Officer, Strategic Investment Board:  Esther works closely with Government Departments and the Construction Industry to deliver the Buy Social Approach for Construction.  Having worked for several years within the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland team within SIB, Esther also runs the Executive’s Delivery Tracking System and publishes the quarterly Construction Procurement Pipeline for Northern Ireland to the industry.  Prior to joining SIB, Esther was an IT Project Manager within Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and Tourism Northern Ireland.