Social value is the wider economic, social and environmental good a supplier commits to deliver through a contract: jobs and training, money spent locally, community support, lower emissions. In many tenders it is a scored question like any other, and it is one where a small local firm can outscore a national competitor.
Why buyers score it
- The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 requires public authorities in England to consider, when procuring services above the threshold, how the contract could improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of their area.
- Central government follows a Procurement Policy Note that applies the government's Social Value Model to its contracts. Under the current guidance social value carries at least 10% of the total score. GOV.UK publishes the model and the note.
- Councils, NHS bodies and housing associations set their own approach. Many publish a social value policy, and many use a framework of themes, outcomes and measures that puts a value on each commitment.
How it is scored in the tender in front of you is in the tender documents, usually in the award criteria and the scoring guide, rather than in the notice. Read that first.
Why a small firm can do well
Evaluators are scoring what is credible and relevant to this contract, not the size of the promise. A firm based near the work, employing local people and buying from local suppliers, can describe real, checkable commitments. A large supplier's national programme often reads as generic by comparison.
Commitments that work
- Local employment
- Hiring for the contract from the area, or from groups the buyer names, such as care leavers or people returning to work.
- Skills
- An apprenticeship or work placement tied to the contract, or time in local schools and colleges. Only commit to an apprentice you can actually take on.
- Local supply chain
- A share of subcontracting or purchasing with small businesses in the area, stated as a figure you can track.
- Environment
- Measured reductions on this contract: fewer vehicle miles, electric vans, less waste to landfill.
- Community
- Volunteering hours or practical support for a local organisation connected to the service.
Writing the answer
- Start from the buyer's priorities. A council's social value policy or corporate plan usually says what it cares about most. Answer to those, in its words.
- Be specific. "Two local apprentices recruited within six months of the start date" scores; "we are committed to our community" does not.
- Make it proportionate. Commitments should fit the contract's size and length. Over-promising is easy to spot and can become a contractual obligation you then have to meet.
- Say how you will measure and report. Who is responsible, what is counted, how often it is reported.
- Show you have done it before. A past example with numbers is the strongest evidence you can deliver.
Common mistakes
- Describing company-wide charity work that has nothing to do with this contract or area.
- Counting things the contract would require anyway, such as paying the staff who deliver it.
- Promises with no number, no date and no owner.
On Bidwire
Bidwire lists requirements only where a notice states them, and social value weightings are usually in the tender documents rather than the notice, so check the scoring guide on the buyer's portal. The buyer pages show what a buyer has awarded before, which helps you judge what is proportionate. For the rest of the response, see writing a tender response that scores.