The social impact toolkit – unlocking social value in the supply chain

The Programme and Project Partners

The Programme and Project Partners was formed by Sellafield Ltd in 2019 and comprises Kellogg Brown and Root, Wood, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, and Doosan Babcock. Around £7 billion of projects are identified to pass through The Programme and Project Partners over the 20-year contract, with around £5 billion delivered by its supply chain. As a result, they highlight that a collaborative, joined-up approach to social impact is essential to ensure meaningful, long-term benefits are achieved in West Cumbria and Warrington.

Social Impact Plan

The Programme and Project Partnership have created a Social Impact Plan, aligned with Sellafield Ltd’s Social Impact Strategy, which maps key priorities. These are categorised as either embedded social value (achieved through the delivery of the day-to-day services, such as ensuring 5% of the workforce are apprentices, in line with the industry standard) and additional social value (which is above and beyond day-to-day delivery, for example recruiting workforce and trainees from disadvantaged backgrounds).

Social impact will be factored into both tenders and direct award of contracts, and the toolkit comprises a number of key measures to support potential suppliers, whether delivering a six-month contract or supporting a package for the next 18 years.

The toolkit includes:

• Priorities – a clear outline of the Programme and Project Partners’ social impact priorities based on the categories of embedded and added social impact.
• Case studies – each detailing specific initiatives to support the delivery of a joined-up social value programme (again covering both embedded and additional social value), and steps that suppliers can take to get involved. For example, The Programme and Project Partnership Internship Scheme is designed to support residents of West Cumbria who face additional barriers to entering long-term, sustainable, quality careers, and which suppliers can support by offering internships. Similarly, The Primary Business Partnership connects primary schools with people from local businesses in Copeland and Allerdale, who can commit corporate volunteering time to support career-related learning activities.
• Timebank – a description of its Timebank initiative. This is a system created within the partnership which uses the credits of ‘time’ rather than money for the purpose of supporting social impact initiatives. Timebank coordinates corporate volunteering efforts centrally. Hours committed will then be invested against the priorities of Timebank. This is a simple ‘plug and play’ initiative which the supply chain can connect into, and, as a minimum, supply chain partners are expected to contribute two days, per full-time equivalent (FTE) per year. It works by:
• KPIs – an explanation of how social impact will be embedded in awarded contracts, together with examples, to ensure commitments are tangible and delivered on.

The Programme and Project Partners will continue to update the social value toolkit with more case studies, increased detail about initiatives suppliers can connect into, and a template to help develop a social impact plan in the pipeline.

With the new Social Value Model in place for major procurement as of 1 January 2021, the joined-up approach from The Programme and Project Partners is a great example of ensuring social value is not only embedded within the organisation, but with further partners and the supply chain on an ongoing basis.

Having completed hundreds of social value responses in tenders, Executive Compass are well placed to support you with social value in tendering. To find out more about how we can help contact us.