Government Services

I work with governments to create social and economic value for the community.

With experience across government, social enterprise, non-profit and corporate sectors, I bring a unique blend of expertise that bridges traditional industry boundaries.

Through services that include social enterprise and social procurement strategy, social entrepreneurship programs, diversity and inclusion initiatives and grant support, I help government entities meet public expectations, increase job opportunities for marginalised communities and deliver services that make a real difference.

Services include:

    • Social enterprise mapping – Identifying and mapping social enterprises within local government areas

    • Social enterprise strategy – Developing and executing social enterprise strategies as part of your economic development or community development objectives

    • Social enterprise capability building – Designing and implementing programs to enhance the capacity of social enterprises within your area

    • Social procurement strategy – Developing and executing social procurement strategies; advice on how to make government procurement processes easier to navigate for social enterprises; measuring social procurement impact and identifying the good news stories to share with your communities; Victorian Government Social Procurement Framework reporting

    • Inclusive employment strategy – Designing and implementing inclusive employment strategies and programs to reduce entrenched disadvantage in your most marginalised communities, including mentoring programs for diverse cohorts

    • Facilitation & Training - Offering workshops, webinars, and 1:1 support to equip your teams with the knowledge and skills needed to drive social impact across your organisation.

  • I offer in-depth expertise in the design and delivery of purpose-led business and social entrepreneurship programs tailored for local businesses, start-ups, social enterprises and creative practitioners within your local government area or target community. My work helps strengthen the capacity and capabilities of both emerging and established small businesses.

    Topics of expertise include:

    • Starting a purpose-led business

    • Attracting more customers

    • Growing your business

    • Managing operations

    • Leadership and team management

    • Financial management

  • Having worked on both sides of the grant process—as a funder and as a recipient—I have the knowledge and experience to design and implement highly effective grant programs that maximize social return on investment.

    I have a keen ability to identify social washing and know the right questions to ask to ensure you’re making informed decisions when investing for impact.

    How I can help:

    • Grant program design & implementation – Creating and executing grant programs that deliver strong social returns, while ensuring assessment panels have the necessary information to make informed decisions

    • Grant submission assessment – Quickly identifying high-impact opportunities and distinguishing them from lower-impact proposals

    • Gender equity lens - Bringing a gender diverse perspective to grant application design and grant assessment panels, ensuring capital is being distributed equitably amongst gender diverse cohorts, especially women-owned and managed orgs.

  • With expertise in government procurement processes, I offer workshops designed to help local, purpose-led and creative businesses navigate government contracts and tenders. These sessions provide practical guidance on how to improve the chances of success in submitting bids to government entities.

    • Understanding government contracts

    • Finding government quotes and tenders

    • Tips for winning government contracts

    • Responding to government tenders

Case studies

  • Shifting the Balance in a Male-Dominated Sector

    The transport sector has long been characterised by low representation of women, with female participation sitting at just 28%. To address this, the Victorian Department of Transport & Planning launched the Women in Transport Strategy 2021–24, aimed at dismantling structural barriers, shifting workplace culture, and increasing access to employment and leadership opportunities for women.

    I was engaged through my role in the Level Crossing Removal Project to lead two flagship initiatives under the strategy — the Women in Transport Mentoring Program and the Leadership Development Scholarships — both designed to directly support the strategy’s goal of achieving 50% female representation (including in senior roles) by the end of 2024.

    My approach

    Across both programs, I used a human-centred and data-informed approach to ensure initiatives were not only inclusive and impactful, but also aligned with the career needs of women in the sector. My work included:

    Women in Transport Mentoring Program

    • Redesigned the program to elevate participant voice and tailor the experience to individual goals

    • Facilitated large-scale professional development and networking events for up to 600 participants

    • Engaged high-profile guest speakers to boost visibility and inspire career confidence

    • Designed and implemented a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to better understand the program’s outcomes

    • Produced an annual impact report to capture insights, demonstrate value, and inform continuous improvement

    Leadership Development Scholarships

    • Conducted in-depth interviews with past and current participants to understand their lived experiences, challenges, and outcomes throughout their scholarship journeys

    • Used these insights to redesign the program’s operational systems and processes, making them more intuitive, supportive, and efficient for both participants and the program team

    • Introduced mentoring, networking, and professional development opportunities to enhance the overall participant experience and provide wraparound support during their studies

    • Ensured every program element was aligned with participants’ career goals, with a strong focus on fostering confidence, connection, and long-term progression

    What was achieved

    These two flagship programs delivered measurable impact for both participants and the broader sector:

    • Mentoring engagement increased by 235%, reflecting stronger connections and sustained participation

    • 95% of scholarship participants reported career progression as a direct result of the program

    • Emerging women leaders gained visibility across the sector

    • Talent pipelines were strengthened, supporting long-term workforce diversity

    Together, these initiatives helped the Department of Transport & Planning make meaningful progress towards its gender equity targets and create a more inclusive, future-ready transport sector.

  • The challenge

    Knox City Council wanted to better understand its local social enterprise landscape and explore opportunities to embed social procurement into everyday operations. Initial research revealed a relatively low concentration of social enterprises within the municipality, limiting immediate opportunities for local procurement. This raised a broader question: where could social value be found nearby, and how could Council make the most of it?

    My approach

    Engaged via Social Traders, I led a social enterprise mapping and social procurement market analysis project. When it became clear the local footprint was limited, we expanded the scope to neighbouring municipalities to build a richer picture of the regional social enterprise ecosystem. The deliverables included:

    • A comprehensive directory of social enterprises, detailing their goods and services, social purpose, beneficiary groups, business turnover, and geographic reach

    • A visual map to help Council identify potential suppliers and promote local social enterprises to the broader community

    • A social procurement workshop delivered to Council staff and local businesses via the KnoxBiz network

    • A current state analysis based on interviews with Council officers and local businesses, exploring procurement processes, awareness of social enterprise, and readiness for social procurement

    The outcomes

    The final report provided a practical foundation for Council to grow its social procurement approach, including:

    • A baseline assessment of social procurement maturity

    • Tailored recommendations to strengthen procurement practices

    • Financial scenario modelling showing the potential to increase social procurement spend by 8,500% over four years

    • Job creation modelling estimating up to 23 employment opportunities for people experiencing disadvantage

    This work gave Knox City Council a clear and actionable path to leverage its purchasing power for social good.

  • Activating a Place-Based Opportunity

    Banyule City Council saw the potential to activate a new community precinct at Rosanna Station — part of the Level Crossing Removal Project — with a social enterprise café. The aim was to create a welcoming, inclusive space that supported local economic participation and community connection.

    Council had the vision, but not the in-depth knowledge of the social enterprise sector needed to identify and assess suitable partners. That’s where I came in — engaged via Social Traders to bring sector expertise and lead a fit-for-purpose operator selection process.

    My approach

    I worked closely with Council to design and manage a process that was accessible, transparent, and tailored to the opportunity. This included:

    • Scoping the opportunity with Council and developing an engaging information pack

    • Mapping Melbourne’s social enterprise café landscape

    • Conducting targeted outreach to attract interest from eligible operators

    • Designing and managing an Expression of Interest (EOI) process

    • Developing assessment criteria and evaluating submissions

    • Shortlisting applicants and supporting Council through the final selection decision

    What we achieved

    The outcome was the appointment of The Little Social (operated by Youth Projects) as the café tenant. Council supported the enterprise through its startup phase, helping them establish a strong presence in the precinct.

    This project shows how local government can use its physical assets and procurement levers to create inclusive economic opportunities and foster vibrant, community-focused spaces.

Curious about working with me?

If you’re interested in exploring how we might work together, let’s schedule a call to see if I can support your goals.

Book a free phone or video call, where you can share more about your organisation, goals and the project or support you’re looking for.

I’ll talk you through the services I offer and you’ll have the chance to ask any questions about how we might work together.

Alternatively, send me an email olivia@impactpractice.au