How Paris used the 2024 Olympics as an opportunity for social procurement
Paris used its 2024 Olympic Games not just as a sporting spectacle, but as a platform for social procurement, embedding social enterprises into every layer of their supply and service.
Organisers set up ESS 2024 (Économie Sociale et Solidaire) six years in advance to ensure social enterprises could compete for contracts and deliver meaningful work. So, what can Brisbane learn from Paris ahead of the 2032 Olympics?
Key achievements from Paris 2024 included:
- A target of 10% of all work hours during the Games going to people facing barriers to employment, spanning 36 industries including construction, catering and logistics.
- Over 3.5 million hours of work created for people previously excluded from the labour market.
- Engagement of more than 600 social economy enterprises with 94% of contracts awarded to organisations focused on disability and inclusion.
- A strong emphasis on legacy, inclusivity, accessibility and using procurement to drive innovation and social impact.
White Box Enterprises shows us how Brisbane 2032 presents a similar once-in-a-generation opportunity. As Queensland’s largest upcoming procurement event over the next decade, Brisbane’s Games could become a catalyst for social enterprise growth if key partners, policy and procurement practice align.
White Box is collaborating with Social Traders, Queensland Social Enterprise Council, SEFA, Supply Nation, WEConnect and others to adapt Paris’s model to Australia’s context.
A spokesperson from White Box said that procurement for the Games can be about more than contracts, it can create long-term possibility:
“This is our moment,” they assert, emphasising the chance to build social enterprise capacity and inclusive economic value at scale.
