Vulnerable Group Persons Hired in Government Project Tenders with "Set aside" Clauses
Ministry of FinanceSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the employment of vulnerable groups via government project tenders with "set-aside" clauses, as raised by Miss Rachel Ong. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong replied that the government does not centrally track these hiring numbers. He explained that individual agencies have the autonomy to decide on including "set-aside" clauses or preferred supplier programmes for firms with the Enabling Mark. The Minister noted that while some contracts mandate specific hiring quotas for vulnerable groups, the government primarily utilizes non-procurement measures like grants and support services. Finally, he stated that the Ministry of Social and Family Development is developing Enabling Business Hubs to enhance regional employment support for persons with disabilities.
Transcript
4 Miss Rachel Ong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the number of people from vulnerable groups that have been hired due to Government project tenders containing "set aside" clauses to hire vulnerable people groups in the last 10 years; (b) what percentage of the vulnerable people group hired are people with disabilities; and (c) whether there are plans for more Government tenders to include "set aside" clauses for vulnerable people groups or have a preferred supplier programme for firms with the Enabling Mark.
Mr Lawrence Wong: We do not centrally track the number of people from vulnerable groups that are employed through Government tenders. Nevertheless, Government agencies may, from time to time, procure from organisations that support or hire vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities. For instance, in a tender for contact centre services by the Public Service Division, the awarded contractor was required to hire and reserve at least 10% of the jobs created by the contract for persons with disabilities and senior citizens.
Each agency has the autonomy to decide on including “set aside” clauses for vulnerable groups and having a preferred supplier programme for firms with the Enabling Mark.
The Government adopts other non-procurement measures to facilitate the hiring of people from vulnerable groups. These include job placement and job support services, as well as grants to support the employability and employment of persons with disabilities. The Ministry of Social and Family Development is also developing Enabling Business Hubs to better enhance employment support and opportunities at the regional level, closer to where persons with disabilities and caregivers live.