Purchasing & Commissioning for Social Value –
What are we seeking to achieve?
1. Shifting spend locally
- A clear understanding of current purchasing practices- identifying opportunities where a greater proportion of the budget could be reallocated to local organisations.
- Finding ways to prioritise local employers.
- Providing training and clarity to purchasing teams on what is legally possible and how to enforce social value.
- Supporting the capacity and capability of the local supplier market by ensuring that local businesses, social enterprises and SMEs can compete for and secure contracts.
- Offering toolkits and guidance for suppliers to help organisations understand the required criteria and improve the quality of applications.
2. Embedding social value in purchasing
- Considering public and social value when commissioning or purchasing services, for example commissioning a service that has a wider community or public benefit that extends beyond the primary contract delivery.
- Embedding social value into procurement processes, for example designing a core contract specification so that suppliers must meet specific conditions, for example paying a living wage.
- Providing training and capability building for those in charge of procurement.
- Purchasing teams given the time and space to build skills and knowledge on social value and permission to integrate these outcomes into contracting decisions.
- Considering the possibility of having a designated sustainability or social value lead who can oversee local purchasing initiatives
- Identifying a designated board member (or equivalent) to lead on social value and sustainability to help join up efforts as part of a more centralised organisational approach
