There is a requirement for all Councils to comply with the Social Value Act 2012, which is about improving economic, social and environmental wellbeing from public sector contracts over and above the delivery of the services directly required with no or little extra cost.
Public procurement should be leveraged to support both local and national Social Value priorities for the benefit of the local community and wider public.
The Council must have regard to national priority outcomes alongside local strategic priorities through its procurement activity, where it is relevant to the subject matter of a contract, and it is proportionate to do so. For example, and this is not an exhaustive list, Social Value can be delivered through the following activities:
- social – community engagement and volunteering opportunities, supporting disadvantaged individuals and minority groups, hosting events
- economic – creating new jobs employing local people, creating apprenticeships, work placements, purchasing from local suppliers/ marketplace, providing mentoring, training and career advice
- environmental – reducing energy and utility use and reducing carbon emissions, minimising consumption, using sustainable or recycled materials and products, using local supply chains and locally derived goods and services, supporting or delivering improvements to public spaces. Support the delivery of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Early procurement involvement will enable the procurement team to support delivery of Social Value by asking commissioners and project/strategic leads to consider:
- what is important to our local communities
- how can we deliver services differently in a way that will impact positively on the local community and the environment
- how can we support local businesses
- how can we work better together to engage hard to reach groups
- are there local issues that could be better resolved by working together with our communities
To provide social value, where appropriate, we will:
- use criteria involving Social Value considerations as part of tender evaluation (up to 20% where possible/proportionate), thereby challenging suppliers to be innovative in delivering added community benefits
- devise procurements to maximise local employment opportunities
- encouraging suppliers to pay the Foundation Living Wage, as a minimum
- make tender opportunities accessible and attractive, (without directly favouring them), to local SMEs & the voluntary and faith sector, through provision of sign-posted materials and early/pre-market engagement
- remove barriers – engage with the local marketplace to promote understanding of our procurement processes, support and train them in how to comply with Council tendering requirements
- develop an annual social value outcome update, showcasing exemplar performance, and evidencing what the Council have achieved and share this with the various communities and targeted local audiences
- work with partners to create an environment that promotes community wealth building and establishment of an Anchor Institution