In mid-November, the Match My Project team headed down to South London to take part in Croydon Council’s Procurement Act and Social Value event and to celebrate the official launch of their Match My Project platform — another win for connecting communities.

The session spotlighted the Procurement Act 2023 — which gave a greater share of public sector supply opportunities to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — and highlighted its impact on Croydon Council’s approach to Social Value, ensuring that procurement serves all levels of the community.

A personal connection to Croydon

For our Co-founder and CEO, Dan Ebanks, the launch carried extra significance. Dan grew up in Croydon, attending school just 10 minutes from East Croydon station, and spent his teenage years hanging out in the town centre.

At university, when he’d tell people he was from Croydon, he recalled the subtle snobbery he’d sometimes sense, especially from those also from London but another borough. Even now, despite two decades of investment, excellent transport links, strong schools, and the richness of its local communities, some people still underestimate the town.

That’s why launching Match My Project there felt meaningful: the platform is about celebrating and supporting communities like these, and helping them to build even stronger, more resilient local networks.

Event Highlights

The event featured a series of presentations and Q&A discussions, including contributions from Dan himself, Natalie White, Strategic Procurement Manager for Adults, Children and Health at Croydon Council; and Mayor Jason Perry, who reflected on the importance of Social Value in the council’s work and the potential impact of Match My Project for Croydon.

Speaking about the importance of embedding Social Value in procurement processes, Mayor Perry emphasised:

“Social Value is not a tick-box exercise; it is a true purpose and responsibility to deliver and give back to Croydon residents and businesses.”

The session concluded with the Croydon Commitment Community Awards, marking the 20th anniversary of the council’s Social Value programme. Croydon Commitment trustees and CEO, as well as a number of community organisations shared their experiences and achievements in supporting Croydon’s residents amid an increasingly challenging financial and political climate. The commitment, optimism, and care for the borough made clear in their stories was genuinely inspiring.

A huge congratulations to Melinda Ashford, Partnerships and Programmes Director at Croydon Commitment, along with her team, the trustees, and all the organisations who took home an award. Here’s to the next 20 years of Social Value and community impact in Croydon!

Get involved

Are you a supplier or community organisation based in London?

Sign up to Croydon’s site here. It’s free, quick and connects community projects with local suppliers.

Have questions? Reach out at hello@matchmyproject.org 💌