Despite being a commonplace element of public sector tenders, bidder organisations may struggle with social value, with a variety of common misconceptions around social value in bidding.
Moreover, social value guidance and best practice is subject to frequent updates – most recently, the publication of PPN 002 which applies to in-scope central government contracts, and the introduction of new TOMs to the Social Value Portal’s model earlier this year.
We explore what a good, high-scoring social value response should look like in your 2026 tender responses.
Providing clear outcomes resulting from social value commitments
As a starting point, all social value commitments in your quality responses must contain clearly defined, measurable and quantifiable outcomes.
To illustrate, the example below shows what happens when commitments lack clarity and precision.
‘… We aim to support local communities and existing projects, with staff encouraged to volunteer with local charities and third sector organisations annually. During the holiday season, we also host a toy drive and collection, and will continue to do so for this contract.’
While the principles underpinning the commitment are relevant, no indication is given as to the number of hours, resource assigned or potential partner organisations – for instance, an existing council or charity project.
Equally, social value commitments must be a result of contract award rather than general commitments. Evaluators will ask ‘what will change in the community if we award your organisation this contract, which wouldn’t have changed if we hadn’t’. The second sentence in the example refers to a generalised initiative, rather than social value which is contingent on being awarded the contract.
Using identical commitments, the below demonstrates more targeted and clearly defined outcomes:
‘… During the contract term, eight employees will each deliver eight hours per annum (64 hours per annum in total) supporting North Tyneside Council’s Big Spring Clean, beautifying community spaces and litter-picking at local green areas – for instance, Killingworth Lake.
We will also commit up to £1,000 of in-kind contributions to South Tyneside Open Collective for Good Food, coordinating food donations and fundraising activities, e.g. bake sales, donation drives and Christmas raffles.’
The result is a much stronger commitment which clearly defines what will be delivered, the specific, measurable amount and with which organisations.
Highlighting local relevance of your social value proposals
The evaluation criteria for many social value responses emphasises local delivery, impact and relevance. In some instances, commitments may even be restricted by postcode or will otherwise receive zero marks.
As with any other tender response, a strong response will personalise social value commitments by:
- Researching local charities and organisations for viable commitments in the local area and incorporating these as your commitments – or alternatively, researching the authority’s partner organisations and engaging with them
- Referring to the authority’s policies or profile within responses, such as a social value action plan or sustainability plan, demonstrating understanding of their preferences and requirements
- Hiring locally based candidates for vacancies, apprenticeships and work placements, with early career opportunities also upskilling local talent and positioning them for a productive career
- Engaging local suppliers or subcontractors on the contract, ensuring contract spend is recirculated in the local economy because of your appointment.
Above all, it is crucial to demonstrate that your proposals will maximise local impact as a result of contract award, delivering wider benefits to the contract authority’s community. Rather than using the generic term ‘local’ across responses, bidders should specify the specific particular areas where activity will take place – reassuring evaluators that, where positive impacts are achieved, it will be stakeholders in the area of service delivery who will benefit.
Assuring deliverability of social value commitments and initiatives
While social value is also marked on a quantitative element or total amount committed, it is important to ensure all of your outcomes are credible. The evaluator will want assurance that each of the initiatives you commit to will be delivered in full as part of the contract, and is not an empty promise.
Social value also forms a contract-specific KPI, and with the Procurement Act including a provision where underperforming suppliers are placed on the debarment list, non-delivery of commitments risks exclusion from future bidding activity.
Consequently, when providing your plan for delivering social value, be sure to include (as a minimum):
- An individual responsible for delivery of social value commitments, in addition to a summary of their previous experience managing social value, assuring the evaluator of their competency and capability to perform the role
- Timescales for each commitment – for instance, advertising apprenticeships during mobilisation, holding interviews one month into the contract term and appointing candidates no more than three months after the ‘go-live’ date
- Methods for engaging and collaborating with the buyer’s representatives as well as other local stakeholders, such as VSCEs and charities
- Content of reports to effectively demonstrate to whom fulfilment of commitments will be communicated, demonstrating that the overall positive impact is secured.
Contracting authorities want social value which is targeted, tangible and proportionate to the overall contract value.
Support with social value in tenders
Executive Compass has supported with thousands of social value submissions since the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 came into force in 2013. As such, we are ideally positioned to provide partial bid support with social value responses or incorporate this as part of our full suite of bid writing services.
To find out more and get a quotation for our services, contact us today at info@executivecompass.co.uk or via telephone 0800 612 5563.