“Confused about social value questions? You’re not alone,” says social value consultant Claire Louise Chapman.
“However, in reality most small businesses are delivering positive social impact far disproportionate to their size, and they should be using this fact to win work, not avoiding questions because of uncertainty.”
Procurement Policy Note 06/20 (September 2020) launched a new model to deliver social value through government’s commercial activities.
It required that “Social value should be explicitly evaluated in all central government procurement, where the requirements are related and proportionate to the subject-matter of the contract.”*
To contextualise the scale of this legislation, central government bodies spent £84.1 billion in 2021**.
PPN06/20 should be applied on central government spend over OJEU thresholds, however public organisations are choosing to evaluate on contract values from £50,000.
According to the Social Value Portal, local authorities across England are now attributing up to 20% weighting to social value in their tenders, scoring high here can take you over the winning line.
Claire Louise Chapman FICRS, managing director of the Shared Value Business, is one of a growing number of subject matter experts who can help support the process. To create your own compelling responses without having to pay for specialist support, here are her top tips:
What will you do?
Remember that the question on social value in a tender is asking you what you WILL do, once you are in contract.
It’s an action plan for delivery, not a summary of all the brilliant work you already do. A great response will make specific commitments, which you back up by explaining your experience in delivery – you’re saying what you will do, and reassuring the assessor that you can deliver by providing evidence of previous success.
Don’t promise the Moon
It should be relevant and proportionate to the size and type of contract. You know your own expertise, your employees and your sector.
Think about the change that you can best create – don’t promise the moon on a stick, promise something sensible, realistic and deliverable.
Think about your sector skills gaps – how can you volunteer your skills to develop the workforce of the future?
Can you offer particular resources other people don’t but that are valuable for community groups? A good example is G&AM Lawsons Plant Hire, who lent a digger driver to Good Lives Project for the day; worth their weight in gold for that charity to get polytunnels up on site.
Make it measurable
This is simple project management, not rocket science. When will you do how much and for whom? What will change as a result?
Will education engagement support young people into your sector? Will offering work experience for out-of-work adults give them the confidence (and reference) to get a job?
Allocate resource (and highlight this commitment in your response) to making sure your social value gets done, measured and reported.
**Public sector finances, UK – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
To find out more about the Shared Value Business, go to www.tsvb.co.uk
The Shared Value Business is a member of Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster.
