Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisation: Social Enterprise

Social enterprises channel their business energy into achieving wider social objectives.

In so doing they can help tackle social exclusion and regenerate deprived communities. In fact social and environmental objectives are the very reason that social enterprises exist.

What is a Social Enterprise?

A social enterprise is a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.

Social enterprises tackle a wide range of social and environmental issues. Crucially, social enterprises also compete in the marketplace like any other business, using their business skills to achieve social aims. Like any other business, social enterprises aim to sustain their business and make profits (surpluses) – it is what they do with these profits that makes them different.

What is the Social Economy?

The social economy is a wider concept and includes the many and varied organisations that work outside the private sector and the public sector.

It includes voluntary organisations, community groups, self-help groups, community co-operatives and enterprises, religious organisations and other not for profit distribution organisations of benefit to the communities and the people of Wales.

Sources of Support and Information

Wales Co-operative Centre

A co-operative is a trading business that is jointly owned and democratically controlled by its members; they provide goods and services and generate profit. This profit is not given to external shareholders but is used to grow the co-operative, educate its members for social purposes, to improve the local environment and welfare of the wider community. Co-operatives promote a number of values including self-help, democracy and equality and are guided by internationally recognised co-operative principles.

The Centre offers co-operative development support across the whole of Wales which includes:

supporting employee buyouts through a business succession service;
supporting establishment of community co-operatives and social enterprises, credit unions and secondary (including farming) co-operatives;
establishing consortia and clustering models of small businesses to improve growth through economies of scale and enhanced competitive procurement practices;
providing advice on company structures suitable for all forms of social enterprise such as Community Interest Company (CIC) and Industrial and Provident Society;
advising businesses on adopting Fair Trade policies and promoting Fair Trade;
working directly with community groups to encourage the use of ICT through its digital inclusion Communities@One project.

Please visit the Wales Co-operative Centre website for more details on support available.

Development Trusts Association (DTA) Wales

Development trusts are locally based and community led organisations which operate as social enterprises.

DTA Wales’ services and activities include:

supporting new and emerging development trusts;
advising and supporting development trusts, community regeneration organisations and social enterprises on organisational and business development;
providing advice and training on community owned asset development, transfer and management;
guidance on social accounting and audit and other quality and impact tools;
facilitating knowledge and skills learning networks and exchange visits across the development trusts and other social enterprise networks in Wales, including Regen School Wales;
highlighting social and social enterprise best practice and case studies;
promoting new investment and sustainable funding for social enterprises.

Please visit the Development Trusts Association Wales website for more details on support available.

Bridgend County Borough Council Economic Development Unit

The Bridgend Economic Development Unit is able to provide business advice to companies, either directly or through its many partnerships that include the Department of Enterprise, Innovation and Networks and the local enterprise agencies - Business in Focus & Venture Wales

Contact Terry Barrett on 01656 641700 for further information

Procurement

One of our key aims is to improve the opportunities for local social enterprises to win business from the public and private sectors. We aim to do this by:

Improving expertise within social enterprises to bid for and deliver contracts, and promoting local social enterprises and providers.

Guides to help social enterprises win business

Procurement – the social enterprise solution.

Aimed at social enterprises and purchasers, highlighting developments at national and regional levels to help open up procurement to the sector.

Visit: Social Enterprise Magazine

Guides for organisations inviting social enterprise to bid for business

More for your money - NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency and Social Enterprise Coalition show how health service procurement can achieve value for money through improved social, environmental and economic outcomes. Visit: NHS procuring from Social Enterprise guide

Public spending for public benefit - A New Economics Foundation publication using case studies to evidence the financial added-value of working with social enterprises.Visit: Commission for Rural Communities website

Social issues in purchasing - Office for Government Commerce guidance on how social issues can legitimately be incorporated into the procurement cycle. Visit: The Office for Government Commerce website.

Value Wales

Value Wales have produced procurement guidance that will be useful for the procurement of social enterprise products and services. The ‘Opening Doors’ charter and ‘Procurement and the Third Sector’ documents are available via this web link.

Value Wales Procurement Training Course

Value Wales are currently offering courses for commissioning and procurement staff engaged in procurement from social enterprises (and for those likely to become engaged in the near future). Download further details here.

Local Social Enterprises in Bridgend

To add your group to this list, please contact Pat at BAVO .

Bethlehem Church Life Centre - Conference facilities and catering

Bridgend Festival Committee - printing and equipment hire

Llynfi Valley News - printing

Every Link Counts - Digi Labs, printing and various

Gofal : Not just Nuts - food and beverages, toileteries.