Procurement

ABL First Nations Procurement List and Questionnaire

In 2023 the AISN Procurement Sub-Committee launched the Procurement Questionnaire – an online internal questionnaire for tracking Indigenous procurement across the firm, and the First Nations Procurement List to encourage and simplify procurement from First Nations businesses.

Those resources were launched to the heads of departments within the firm whose teams are responsible for the majority of the firm’s procurement.

In 2024, the AISN Procurement Sub-Committee’s priority was to evaluate the impact of the First Nations Procurement List and Procurement Questionnaire on procurement by employees at Arnold Bloch Leibler and consider other ways to encourage an increase in the percentage of spending by the firm on First Nations businesses, including continuing to explore opportunities for large-scale procurement.

Early in the reporting period, the AISN Procurement Sub-Committee distributed a First Nations Gift Giving Guide to all staff at the firm and made them aware of the Procurement Questionnaire and the First Nations Procurement List.

At the beginning of 2024, the AISN Procurement Sub-Committee then met with the relevant heads of departments to discuss ways to increase engagement with and use of the above resources. Some of the suggestions the working group received during that meeting and the actions taken in response are below.

From time to time the firm also purchases products made by First Nations businesses through third party suppliers. These purchases have been included in a separate section of this report below.

As stated below, the reported spend this year with Indigenous-owned businesses is more than double the spend for the previous reporting period. Distribution of the First Nations Procurement List and Procurement Questionnaire to the heads of departments within the firm and their teams has resulted in a number of purchases throughout the year made by staff at the firm who are not members of the AISN.

Further, the use of the Procurement Questionnaire has increased during this reporting period, meaning some previously occurring spends that had not been captured to date in the firm’s statistics, are now being recorded. For example, Indigenous cultural awareness training was procured by the firm in the previous reporting period but was not reported. We will continue to update and promote these resources. 

 In 2025 the Procurement Working Group will:

• continue to update and promote the First Nations Procurement List and Procurement Questionnaire to increase the percentage of spending by the firm with First Nations businesses; and
• make at least one large-scale (one off or ongoing) spend with a First Nations business or host a large event with a First Nation supplier or suppliers.

Procurement in the reporting period

In 2024, the firm’s procurement from First Nations businesses included the following:

• food and drinks for AISN events, Committee and team meetings from Indigenous-owned businesses; and
• gifts for team members.

In the 2024 reporting period, the firm spent over $24,600 with Indigenous-owned businesses in connection with events organised and held by the AISN and the firm, including gifts, food and drinks and cultural awareness training.  This is more than double the spend made with Indigenous-owned businesses in the previous reporting period. Most of these are funds that firm would otherwise have spent at non-Indigenous-owned businesses.

We include details of the purchases from the 2024 reporting period below.

In the reporting period, the firm also spent over $8,200 on products that were made by First Nations businesses, authored by First Nations authors, events that included line ups of exclusively First Nations performers, tickets to the NILC Gala Dinner and National First Nations Law Awards and sponsorship of a conference co-hosted by First Nations Eye Health Alliance, but which were purchased through non-First Nations third parties.  We include details of the purchases from the 2024 reporting period below.