The Gender Responsive Procurement (GRP) program provides a portal for women entrepreneurs to register and view corporate procurement needs, aiming to create new opportunities for women-owned enterprises.
The initiative supports the idea that getting goods from gender-responsive enterprises (GREs) will increase the number of gender-responsive value chains and that purchasing from women-owned businesses (WOBs) will provide them with fair access to markets. Gender-responsive procurement is based on the idea that sourcing policies and practices, both public and private, can be useful tools for influencing markets and advancing women's economic empowerment and entrepreneurship.
The GRP Portal was created by the Womennovator firm founded by Tripti Somani. She mentioned that it majorly focuses on channeling revenues for women. She further stated that the portal allows users to view corporate purchasing trends and express interest in aligning their businesses with their needs, while also facilitating direct meetings between women entrepreneurs and procurement teams.
Tripti says that in 2018, they partnered between the Ministry of MSME and Public Sector Undertakings mandated corporations to procure 3 per cent from women-owned businesses. She emphasized the program's significance, stating that it not only supports women but also has a more profound impact than traditional CSR efforts.
Womennovator invites potential partners to collaborate, highlighting opportunities with large corporations for suppliers. Benefits include upfront opportunities, increased impact, visibility, networking, corporate recognition, and CSR demonstrations. Women entrepreneurs would gain exclusive bulk orders after joining the Womennovator's GRP campaign.
Womennovator is encouraging organizations to name their eligible women entrepreneurs without registration fees, promoting gender-responsive procurement and economic empowerment in India, thereby reshaping the corporate landscape fostering inclusivity and diversity.
