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Social Procurement Protocol
1.0 Purpose
The purpose of this protocol is to: (a) establish transparent procedures for the implementaƟon of the social
procurement objecƟves idenƟfied in the City's Strategic Procurement Policy for Procurements valued
below the Open CompeƟƟon Threshold; and (b) further the following strategic objecƟves idenƟfied by the
City:
a) respecting the values of inclusivity, diversity, equity, culture, and fair labour practices;
b) supporting diverse organizations;
c) striving for an ever-improving quality of life with a view to becoming the most vibrant and
welcoming community in Atlantic Canada by growing the City, serving the City and becoming the
community of choice through the cultivation of community pride and the vibrant promotion of
beautification, arts, culture, heritage, recreation, education, employment, and diversity;
d) providing residents with opportunities to prosper with flourishing neighbourhoods and a
protected environment with quality municipal services; and
e) promoting population growth and a growing tax base for the City.
2.0 Establishing Qualified Supplier Rosters
To further the above-noted objecƟves, the Procurement Manager shall establish Qualified Supplier Rosters
open to all qualified suppliers in areas of repeat purchasing for transacƟons valued below the Open
CompeƟƟon Threshold for goods and services including but not limited to:
1. Light duty vehicles and trailers
2. Firearms and ammunition
3. Building renovations
4. Landscaping/lawncare services
5. Building demolitions
6. Equipment maintenance services
7. Safety supplies
8. Flashlights/batteries
9. Water meters
10. Paints/stains
11. Clothing
12. Gloves
13. Boots
14. Nursery stock
15. Pest control
16. Computer cabling
17. Well and water testing
18. Delivery of summons
19. Training
20. Mats
21. Bulky item pickup
22. Printing services
23. Pump installation
24. Vehicle parts
25. Dumpster rentals
26. Portable toilet rentals
27. Equipment rentals
28. Removal of biosolids
29. Shredding services
30. Windshields/auto glass
31. Sweeper brooms
32. Tires
33. Automotive filters and other parts
34. Small engine equipment (mowers, etc.)
35. Piping
36. Fittings
37. Hand tools
38. Concrete rings and risers
39. Chemicals
40. Industrial gasses
41. Cleaning supplies
42. Lubricants
43. Envelopes
44. Blade sharpening
45. Fire hydrants
46. Fasteners, nuts, bolts
47. Drafting/plotter paper
48. Treadmills
49. Signage
50. Flaggers
51. Light construction (e.g. decks)
52. Automotive undercoating
53. Vehicle rentals
54. Crosswalk services
55. Crane and hoist inspections
56. Ready mix concrete
57. Cold mix
58. Badges and regalia
59. Swag
60. Other categories of good or services identified by the Procurement Manager
3.0 Identifying Saint John's Social Procurement Suppliers
When establishing the Qualified Supplier Roster noted above, the Procurement Manager shall register
those Suppliers with a business address within the geographic boundaries of the City that idenƟfy as falling
within any of Social Procurement Supplier categories noted below:
a) Diverse Suppliers (meaning Suppliers who have a diverse ownership group or workforce or who
engage in inclusive employment practices that reduce systemic barriers to employment, and for
greater clarity, diverse means "including or involving people from a range of different social and
ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.");
b) Social Enterprise Suppliers (meaning Suppliers that embed a social, cultural or environmental
purpose into their business, and reinvest the majority of their profits into their social mission);
c) Environmentally Responsible Suppliers (meaning Suppliers who reduce their carbon footprint by
having adopted environmentally sustainable workplace practices and/or policies);
d) Social Impact Suppliers (meaning those small business Suppliers who employ a total of twenty
(20) or fewer employees within the City of Saint John and provide a positive social impact to the
Saint John Community by paying property taxes or rent within the City of Saint John);
e) Living Wage Suppliers (meaning those Suppliers who hire employees living in Saint John and pay
those employees a living wage, which for greater clarity means at least $22/hour or the equivalent
salary);
f) Work Experience Suppliers (meaning those Suppliers who provide paid work experience
programs to residents living in Saint John); or
g) Designated Ownership Suppliers (meaning Suppliers with at least 51% ownership in one or more
of the following designated categories):
i. Indigenous Peoples (meaning the original peoples of North America and their
descendants);
ii. Racialized Person(s) (as defined by Statistics Canada);
iii. Woman/Women; (meaning women or those identifying as women);
iv. Person(s) with Disabilities (as defined in Canada's Federal Disability Reference
Guide)
v. Youth (meaning between the ages of 18-29); or
vi. LGBTQIA2S+ (meaning Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning,
Intersex, Asexual and Two Spirits, or any other analogous group that identifies
within this category).
4.0 Direct Procurements and InvitaƟonal CompeƟƟons
4.1.1 Direct Procurements
Where the Procurement Value is below the Low-Value Procurement Threshold, a Service Area may engage
in Low-Value Procurements without the involvement of Supply Chain Management for any Procurement
where the above-noted Qualified Supplier Roster is created by Supply Chain Management. When
engaging in Low-Value Procurements, the Service Area shall, whenever practical, direct those
Procurements to a supplier identified as a Social Procurement Supplier. The Service Area shall report all
Procurements under this section to the Procurement Manager.
4.1.2 Invitational Competitions
When the Procurement Value is above the Low-Value Procurement Threshold but below the Open
Competition Threshold, Supply Chain Management, with the co-operation and involvement of the Service
Area, shall solicit at least three (3) Bids as part of an Invitational Competition.
4.1.3 InvitaƟonal CompeƟƟon Among Social Procurement Suppliers
When conducting an Invitational Competition, Supply Chain Management, with the co-operation and
involvement of the Service Area, shall, whenever practical, solicit all Bids from Suppliers identified as
Social Procurement Suppliers. There shall be no preferences given when evaluating Bids in an Invitational
Competition when all invitees are Social Procurement Suppliers.
4.1.4 Invitational Competition Involving Other Suppliers
When it is not possible or practical to limit an Invitational Competition to Social Procurement Suppliers,
Supply Chain Management will invite as many Social Procurement Suppliers as possible to the Invitational
Competition but there shall be no preferences given in the evaluation of Bids as between Social
Procurement Suppliers and other Suppliers.
5.0 Conflict of Interest Rules Apply
For greater certainty, Section 3 - Ethical Conduct and Conflict of Interest of the Strategic Procurement
Policy shall apply to all Procurements under this protocol and Conflicts of Interest must be avoided in all
Procurements under this protocol.
6.0 Report to Common Council
The Procurement Manager shall maintain records of all Procurements made under this protocol and shall
report the results to Common Council within a year of the implementaƟon of this protocol and annually
thereaŌer.