Council Purchasing Shaped by Social Justice

A new council policy that will shape how millions of dollars are spent in Wyndham is being closely examined by residents who want spending decisions to stay genuinely local and deliver clear value for money.

Wyndham City Council’s draft Procurement Policy for 2025–2029 sets the framework for how goods, services and works will be purchased over the next four years.

The policy is based on a model developed by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and has been adapted for use by Wyndham City Council.

The policy introduces a range of spending provisions that go beyond price and capability, embedding economic, environmental, social and ethical governance considerations into procurement decisions through what is described as a “Quadruple Bottom Line” approach.

Under the framework, contracts may be assessed on factors such as sustainability practices, workforce composition, diversity and inclusion outcomes, labour standards and broader community benefit, alongside traditional measures such as cost, risk and delivery capability.

The policy opens with an Acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians and includes multiple provisions relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in procurement.

These include encouragement to seek quotations from Indigenous-owned businesses, social procurement objectives that may influence tender evaluations, and exemptions allowing direct engagement with Bunurong and Wadawurrung organisations in defined circumstances.

Those circumstances include cultural services, heritage advice, land management, artistic works and related activities.

These provisions sit alongside other exemption and sole-sourcing clauses that allow council to depart from standard competitive procurement processes under specific conditions.

Some residents and business operators have raised concerns that these measures introduce identity-based considerations into procurement decisions, questioning whether spending frameworks should prioritise race or background rather than remaining strictly neutral, competitive and outcomes-focused.

The policy also promotes the use of “local suppliers”, however its definition of local extends beyond Wyndham’s municipal boundaries. Under the framework, businesses across much of Melbourne’s west and into parts of regional Victoria, including Geelong and the Surf Coast, may qualify as local suppliers.

Council’s long-running “Love Your Local” campaign, which encourages residents to support businesses based within the municipality as a way of keeping spending and jobs in Wyndham, has faced similar scrutiny. 

The document outlines detailed procurement thresholds, approval pathways and compliance requirements, including probity oversight, reporting obligations and performance indicators.

High-value or high-risk procurements may require external probity advisors, consistent with MAV guidance.

Council states the policy is designed to ensure transparency, accountability and value for money, and that all procurement decisions must be defensible under audit and external scrutiny.

However, residents continue to examine whether the expanded criteria add complexity, slow delivery or dilute genuinely local spending outcomes.

The expanded criteria has also rasied ratepayer concerns due to the added layers of bureaucracy needed to achieve the policy’s aims.

The draft policy comes as Wyndham continues to experience rapid population growth, placing ongoing pressure on infrastructure delivery and council budgets.