The Time is Now to Accelerate Women's Public Procurement: Key Published Resources

Keric Chin's 2014 publication, Empowering Women through Public Procurement, served as a catalyst for several countries to initiate public procurement programs for women. This publication highlighted the potential of public procurement to drive positive change and promote women's economic empowerment. Building on this momentum, Dr. Sue Harris Rimmer's 2017 publication, Gender-smart Procurement for Driving Change, analyzed public procurement practices in Europe, Australia, the United States, and Chile. The study identified best practices and areas for improvement, providing a roadmap for governments and organizations seeking to promote gender equality through public procurement. The publication's findings were instrumental in galvanizing the Women20 of the Group of 20 (G20) countries to focus on women's public procurement. In 2017, Keric Chin published The Power of Procurement: How to Source from Women-Owned Businesses, a corporate guide to gender-responsive procurement. The publication provided practical guidance on sourcing from women-owned businesses, including strategies for identifying and engaging with women-owned suppliers. The guide also highlighted the benefits of gender-responsive procurement, including improved supply chain diversity and enhanced corporate reputation. The International Finance Corporation's 2018 publication, Unlocking opportunities for women and business: A toolkit of actions and strategies for oil, gas and mining companies, offered valuable insights for companies seeking to promote gender equality in their supply chains. The publication provided a toolkit of actions and strategies for companies to identify and engage with women-owned suppliers, highlighting the benefits of inclusive and responsible business practices. The Time Is Now To Accelerate Women's Public Procurement is a 23-part toolbox and call to action series created by USAID. This comprehensive resource provides a range of tools and strategies for governments and organizations seeking to promote women's public procurement. The toolbox includes case studies, best practices, and practical guidance on implementing women's public procurement programs. In Canada, researchers Barbara Orser, Allan Riding, and Diane Liao conducted a study on Benchmarking SMEs as Suppliers to the Government of Canada: Inclusion, Innovation and International Trade. The study identified opportunities for increasing diversity in Canada's public procurement program, including strategies for engaging with under-represented groups such as women business owners. The researchers also developed an action summary outlining practical steps for increasing diversity in Canada's public procurement program. Jonna van der Krift and Astrid ter Wiel's 2020 publication, Making Public Procurement Work for Women, provided a practical roadmap for governments seeking to initiate women's public procurement programs. The publication offered a step-by-step guide to setting up and managing a women's public procurement program, highlighting the benefits of inclusive and responsive procurement practices.