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Social value toolkit for district councils

All the help district councils need to measure social value

How many times are the words “social value” heard in public sector procurement departments each week? Probably loads – and we’re delighted about that. Social value is one of the key themes of the National Procurement Strategy for Local Government and is really gaining momentum.

But, sometimes, the words are all there is. We know how hard it can be for District Councils in particular to implement social value. There are so many reasons for this: they don’t tend to commission services, they have small contract sizes or few contracts, or they are tied to national framework agreements.

We’ve created this toolkit for District Councils to use where there is an inkling of a chance to implement social value in procurement. Within it, you’ll find everything you need to understand and implement social value where you can, all based on tried and tested approaches.

Why district councils should use the toolkit

When the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 landed, it started to ask all public sector organisations to look beyond the money side of a contract and consider the bigger picture. Its aim was to push them to consider how the services they commission can improve the economic, social and environment wellbeing of an area.

Right now, district councils are missing out on delivering a huge amount of extra value to the communities they serve. Councils that do embed social value into their procurement processes add up to 20% more benefits to their communities, according to the National Procurement Strategy for Local Government – at no extra cost to their own organisation.

Those benefits could be so many things – local jobs, training possibilities with local businesses, courses for colleges and schools, environmental benefits and so much more. This is even more important as local authorities look to make their limited resources go even further.

We want to support you in all those moments where you could implement social value – that won’t be in every part of your business, but enough to make it count. This toolkit is designed to be your starting point.

The toolkit

The Social Value Toolkit for District Councils has been put together to take away the stress of approaching social value. Whether it’s the first time social value has landed on your desk or you’re an old hat who needs an update of what’s what, you’ll find what you need. In a nutshell, it contains:

  • A draft Social Value Policy
  • All the wording you need to include in tender documents
  • Information about how to evaluate bids
  • Tips on good contract management.

Importantly, the toolkit also contains everything you need to know about the TOMs framework – named for the Themes, Outputs and Measures it contains. This easy-to-use solution can be applied to any project and will really allow a District Council to understand and assess all the social value that it creates.

Have a look, download the guide and see what you think. If you’d like to learn more about using the toolkit in practice, we can share lots of case studies with you. We’d love to hear from you.

Download now

Social value toolkit for district councils