Bob Doris, SNP MSP for Glasgow, has visited the Springburn RSBi factory to meet the team and witness their work.

RSBi Springburn is managed by City Building and employs more than 270 people. It describes itself as “combining commercial success with socially responsible practices.” Its state of the art manufacturing facility provides supported employment for those with a disability or learning difficulties and its attached ground-breaking learning and training centre offers qualifications and further development its workforce and young people alike.

While there Mr Doris discussed the Public Procurement Directive and specifically its Article 19 provision that allows for the reservation of contracts for companies where 50% or more of their employees are disabled.

Mr Doris said: “The article 19 provision is vital to ensuring supported workplace opportunities like this and others continue to thrive and win contracts that might otherwise go to the lowest bidder. RSBi is therefore a wonderful example of a cost-effective project operated with a social conscience.

“RSBi manages to produce, economically, products of the highest quality for several industries, and at the same time maintain stable supported employment for its work-force, which ultimately contributes to their future prospects and quality of life. The fact that it is sustainable and thrives in a competitive industry is just all the more impressive.

Local Councillor Billy McAllister said: “RSBi is a hugely important part of the lives of the work-force and the broader community. As well as providing stable employment for their work-force they are committed to their further development and the learning and skills centre plays an invaluable role in the future of the people with whom they engage, and long may that continue.

RSBi Motion

That the Parliament commends the work of the Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries (RSBi) factory in Springburn, which cost-effectively produces furniture and furnishings for commercial and domestic use, thereby creating supported employment opportunities for those with disabilities or learning difficulties; acknowledges the high incidence of unemployment among the impaired and disabled and hence the importance of the employment opportunities offered by this and similar projects, as well as their capacity to contribution to further skills and educational development of their workforce and others; highlights article 19 of the public procurement directive which allows for the exemption of contracts from the public tendering process where they are reserved for companies whose workforce is 50% disabled or otherwise impaired; encourages companies to rely on this article where appropriate and continue to create opportunities in supported workplaces