Supply Nation urges buyers to turn Indigenous procurement into lasting partnerships

Supply Nation has unveiled a new report aimed at moving Indigenous procurement beyond transactional buying towards longer-term commercial relationships that deliver wider economic and community benefit.

The report, Pathways to Partnership, is intended for Supply Nation’s verified Indigenous businesses, together with corporate, government and not-for-profit members seeking to deepen existing arrangements and turn procurement commitments into lasting outcomes. It draws on resea...

rch by the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney, commissioned by Supply Nation, and sets out a framework for what it says are the conditions needed to make partnerships work in practice.

At the centre of the framework are three organisational enablers: leadership and commitment from within the business, a stronger understanding of procurement systems and how they can be reshaped, and better governance, accountability and measurement of success. The report also identifies five further success factors designed to help both buyers and suppliers build economic, cultural and community value over time.

Supply Nation says the guidance is meant to give procurement teams and business leaders a practical toolkit for more constructive conversations and better results. The emphasis, it argues, should be on collaboration and shared value rather than simply meeting targets or completing individual transactions.

The release comes at a time when Indigenous business activity continues to expand. Supply Nation said its corporate, government and not-for-profit members recorded more than $5.83 billion in procurement with verified Indigenous businesses in the 2024-25 financial year. That follows the organisation’s 2024 annual report, which showed $4.6 billion in procurement spend in 2023-24, up by $500 million from the previous year.

The broader sector has grown steadily in recent years. Supply Nation’s 2025 annual report said the number of suppliers listed on Indigenous Business Direct had passed 6,000, while 1,267 new supplier approvals were completed in 2024-25. Earlier research from the organisation also found that almost $20 billion in procurement spend had flowed through its network since 2009, underlining the scale the sector has now reached.

Kate Russell, Supply Nation’s chief executive, said there was still a gap between policy ambition and day-to-day procurement practice. The new report, she said, is designed to close that gap by helping organisations form genuine, durable partnerships with Indigenous businesses.

She added that the goal should be sustainable relationships rather than box-ticking, noting that many Indigenous businesses are closely connected to Country, Community and Culture, which can strengthen commercial ties and support broader environmental, social and governance outcomes.

Supply Nation also used the launch to point to risks that can undermine confidence in Indigenous procurement, including so-called black cladding, where businesses are misrepresented as Indigenous-owned. The organisation said stronger governance and a better-informed procurement process could help ensure organisations are dealing with genuine Indigenous businesses.

The report argues that there is still significant room for growth at local government level, even as federal, state and territory governments continue to perform strongly. Supply Nation says local authorities could do more to adopt procurement targets and spend locally, creating more jobs and economic opportunity within communities.

For Supply Nation, the message is clear: the next phase of Indigenous procurement is not just about increasing spending, but about building systems that sustain businesses, strengthen accountability and deliver long-term benefits well beyond the contract itself.

Source: Noah Wire Services