POP2020: OSEP’s Virtual Social Enterprise & Buyer Meet Up for Oxfordshire
Wednesday 18th November 10 am – 12 pm
Join Oxfordshire’s first ever virtual gathering for social enterprises and Buyers, in POP2020: Power of Purpose Week from 16th – 20th November.
This is OSEP’s first ever, virtual “social enterprise and buyer meet up”, exclusively for Oxfordshire based organisations. This event is being organised as part of OSEP’s eScalate programme, on behalf of the Oxfordshire LEP.
Many early stage social enterprises and purposeful businesses in Oxfordshire have told OSEP that they are looking for more opportunities to meet prospective local Buyers, to gain a better understanding of what products and services they might be interested in receiving from local social enterprises, and how to approach them with their particular business offer.
We will have a panel of buyers representing local and national organisations including:
Bouygues have taken over the contract at the John Radcliffe Hospital for maintenance services and are looking to see how they can look to procure services locally and engage with social enterprises in Oxford.
Representative: Peter Galley – Contracts Director
ODS have a social procurement policy, and are looking to work with local social enterprises to procure training, specialist services, and new innovative design products that support the circular economy.
Representative: Jane Lubbock – Assistant Director, Corporate Services
Blenheim has many different facets, and the list of procurement opportunities is very diverse from catering, cleaning, floristry, printers, designers, researchers, gardening, office supplies and retail to name just a few.
Representative: Heather Carter – Operations Director
Oxford City Council ensures procurements are open, fair, transparent, and compliant with regulations whilst supporting the SME market, driving Social Value, and inclusivity, and delivering value for money. OCC procures a broad range of products and services.
Representative: Annette Osborne – Procurement Manager
University of Oxford are looking to introduce Social Value into procurement processes, and procure a variety of products and services.
Representative: John Robbins – Purchasing Manager
Soha is interested in engaging with local business across our operations, including; garden maintenance services, legal advice, architecture services, paper supplies and repairs services.
Representative: Matthew Ridley – Head of Finance
The Midcounties Co-operative are looking to deliver value for money against their Goods Not For Resale spend. They work closely with Trading Groups and suppliers to capture purchasing requirements.
Representative: Shani Knight-Cross – Procurement Analyst
Amey is one of the top five support services suppliers in the UK, maintaining the UK’s road and rail infrastructure, keeping schools safe and clean, managing the UK’s defence estate, safely escorting prisoners and keeping prisons and courts secure. They are looking to procure services/products associated with the management of waste, IT, cleaning, engineering, project management, and grounds/arboricultural.
Representative: Emily Davies – Head of Social Impact
There will be limited opportunities to engage Buyers directly during the event, so we encourage social enterprises to sign up as soon as possible.
We will also hear from Social Value UK as part of this session, and why social value has a huge potential to help us change the way we understand the world around us.
Social Value UK is the national network for anyone interested in social value and social impact. They work with their members to increase the accounting, measuring and managing of social value from the perspective of those affected by an organisation’s activities, through their Social Value Principles. They believe in a world where a broader definition of value will change decision making and ultimately decrease inequality and environmental degradation.
Representatives: Ben Carpenter – Chief Executive & Catherine Manning – Operations Manager
Who Is This Workshop For?
This workshop is aimed at SMEs that are Social Enterprises, social entrepreneurs, enterprising charities and other purposeful businesses, seeking to establish relationships with interested Buyers in Oxfordshire.
This workshop is also aimed at Buyers in Oxfordshire seeking to support local, social enterprises and diversify their supply chains.
Attendees will be able to:
- Meet the OSEP team and hear about support you can get from the eScalate programme to grow your enterprise business
- Meet and greet Buyers in the county
- Meet other social enterprises
Facilitators
Paul Roberts and Sophie Kilmister from the award winning social enterprise, Aspire Oxfordshire. Aspire, is one of six eScalate Enterprise Hubs in Oxfordshire, and is a preferred supplier of services to a diverse range of Buyers in Oxfordshire, including local authorities, leisure providers, facilities management companies and housing associations.
Paul brings a wealth of experiences of different charity and community enterprise models in Oxfordshire. He is a Director of Aspire’s trading company as well as the Chief Executive Officer of the Aspire charity. Paul joined Aspire in 2012 and has been at the forefront of significant organisational growth including through trading. Aspire’s turnover has grown by 480% in this time frame.
Paul has helped set up numerous, enterprising community organisations in the county. He is a co-founder of the Oxford Homeless Movement, was a founder Director of Greater Change CIC (Community Interest Company), and is a Director of Makespace Oxford CIC, of the Oxfordshire Social Entrepreneurship Partnership (OSEP CIC), and is a Founder Trustee of ‘Flo’s the Place in the Park’ (a charitable Community Benefit Society).
Prior to joining Aspire, Paul was a British Diplomat for six years. Paul previously volunteered at Asylum Welcome in Oxford and as a Generalist Adviser for the Citizens Advice. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy.
Currently Enterprise Development Programme Manager at Aspire, Sophie also works as the Operations Director of an Engineering business. A key feature of Sophie’s career has been working across sectors – commercial, public and charitable sector. Prior to joining Aspire Sophie spent 9 years in secondary education as both teacher and senior leader – teaching Business Studies and Economics. As Assistant Head involved in strategic development and implementation within a large secondary school.
Previous to this, Sophie trained as and worked as a solicitor firstly in the banking sector and then for the charity sector. She also spent three years establishing and running a £30m endowed grant making charitable foundation for an entrepreneur.
OSEP’s Virtual Social Enterprise & Buyer Meet Up for Oxfordshire is part of POP2020: Power of Purpose Week – a celebration of business as a force for good.
If you would like to join this session, sign up here.
You can sign up to all the POP2020 events on Eventbrite, here’s the schedule >>
