Responsible supply chains

We’re committed to ethical, inclusive and sustainable procurement. We work with suppliers to deliver positive social and environmental outcomes that benefit students, communities and the environment. We prioritise diverse suppliers to support communities and create local jobs.

Support apprentices and trainees

Supporting apprentices and trainees is a key goal for TAFE NSW. We work with suppliers who share this commitment.

Through our construction contracts, we aim to create more opportunities for apprentices and trainees.

We’ve set targets to support this, especially for construction projects over $10 million. These targets are part of the Skills, Training and Diversity in Construction Plan.

Support Aboriginal businesses

We’re committed to working with Aboriginal-owned businesses through our Aboriginal participation strategy. This sets clear goals to better support Aboriginal businesses.

Since launching the strategy, our spending with Aboriginal businesses has steadily grown. This is part of our wider efforts to support Aboriginal community initiatives.

Aboriginal participation plan

Learn what an Aboriginal participation plan is and see a step-by-step guide on how to complete one:

Watch our how to complete an Aboriginal participation plan video.

Support SME business growth

We support local and regional suppliers, especially SMEs in regional NSW. We aim to make it easier for these suppliers to work with us, especially those in regional and remote areas.

We follow the faster payment terms policy by paying registered small businesses within 5 days.

SME and local participation plan

Learn what a SME and local participation plan is and see a step-by-step guide on how to complete one:

Watch our how to complete an SME and local participation plan video.

Support disability enterprises

We support and encourage the employment of people living with disability. One way we do this is by giving Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) the chance to become suppliers through our procurement processes.

This approach aligns with our Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Plan (DIBP), which aims to:

treat people living with disability fairly across all areas of our business
remove barriers and support equal access to facilities, services, information and jobs
use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles across the organisation.

Read our DIBP

Support a sustainable future

TAFE NSW is committed to a sustainable future. We support the environment and work towards a circular economy. This means reusing resources, reducing waste and designing products to last.

We follow the NSW Circular Economy Policy and NSW Net Zero Government Operations Policy. Our procurement practices reflect these commitments.

We value:

products made with recycled content
keeping materials and products in use for longer
circular and sustainable design
avoiding and reducing waste.

Our procurement practices also support the NSW Net Zero Plan, which aims for net zero emissions by 2030.

Our sustainability goals

Take action on modern slavery

We recognise modern slavery as a serious human rights issue. It affects millions of vulnerable people around the world.

We’re committed to respecting human rights in our supply chains. We follow the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (NSW) and take steps to meet its requirements.

We use risk management strategies and follow the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner’s guidance on reasonable steps. Our TAFE NSW Modern Slavery Statement outlines how we’re working to remove modern slavery from our procurement practices.

Statement of Business Ethics

TAFE NSW commits to fair and open processes. We run our business by following the TAFE NSW Statement of Business Ethics and using the NSW Government Procurement Policy Framework.