Social Value in UK Bids

Social value in procurement refers to the wider benefits a contract can deliver to society beyond its core commercial purpose. Under Procurement Policy Note 002 (PPN 002), published 5 March 2025 and mandatory from 1 October 2025, in-scope organisations must evaluate social value as part of the procurement process, using the current Social Value Model.

Many local authorities and other public bodies have adopted similar approaches, often with higher weightings. This means that how you deliver social value can be the difference between winning and losing a bid.

What changed from PPN 06/20: PPN 002 replaces PPN 06/20 (September 2020) and the previous five-theme Social Value Model. The new model has eight outcome themes focused on fair work, skills, resilient supply chains, sustainable procurement, community safety, employment access, workforce opportunities, and wellbeing — with the earlier "COVID-19 recovery" theme retired. Bids submitted from October 2025 onwards should respond to the new themes, not the old five.

The current Social Value Model organises social value into eight outcome themes:

1. Fair work — pay, conditions, and rights for the workforce delivering the contract
2. Skills for growth — developing skills that expand the labour market and enable industrial strategy priorities
3. Resilient, innovative and flexible supply chains — supply-chain diversity, innovation, and resilience
4. Sustainable procurement practices — environmentally responsible sourcing, materials, and delivery
5. Support the reduction in crime — community cohesion, awareness raising, and action to reduce crime
6. Employment and training for those who face barriers to employment — access to work for under-represented and disadvantaged groups
7. Creating a pipeline of opportunities for the contract workforce — progression, apprenticeships, and career pathways during and beyond the contract
8. Increasing productivity through physical and mental wellbeing — health, wellbeing, and inclusive workplace culture

Not every theme will apply to every contract. The contracting authority will select the relevant themes and outcomes for each procurement. Your job is to respond specifically to the themes they have selected, with measurable commitments.

The most common mistake in social value responses is making generic promises. Evaluators score responses that are specific, measurable, relevant, and deliverable. Here is a practical approach:

1. Read the question carefully. Identify which Social Value Model themes are being evaluated and what specific outcomes the buyer is looking for.
2. Make commitments you can deliver. Don't promise to create 50 apprenticeships if your business has 10 employees. Be ambitious but realistic.
3. Quantify where possible. "We will provide 20 hours of mentoring to local school leavers in the first year" is far stronger than "We will support local education".
4. Link to the contract. Show how your social value commitments relate to the delivery of the contract, not to general CSR activities.
5. Include a delivery plan. Show how you will implement, monitor, and report on your commitments. Include timelines and responsible individuals.

Remember that social value commitments made in your bid become contractual obligations. Only promise what you can genuinely deliver. Our Social Value Response Template gives you a ready-made structure that maps to the five themes.

Evaluators see the same mistakes repeatedly. Avoid these:

• Copy-pasting your CSR policy — evaluators want contract-specific commitments, not a general corporate responsibility statement
• Making unmeasurable promises — "We will support the community" scores poorly; "We will deliver 100 hours of free IT training to local residents in year one" scores well
• Ignoring the scoring criteria — if the buyer has asked for Theme 2 and Theme 3, don't write about Theme 5
• Overpromising — commitments you cannot deliver will damage your reputation and may result in contract performance issues
• Not evidencing past delivery — if you have previously delivered social value on similar contracts, include the evidence

Use our Bid Compliance Checklist tool to verify your response meets the stated requirements before submission, and read common tender mistakes for the broader picture of what disqualifies otherwise strong bids.

• PPN 002: Taking account of social value in the award of contracts — gov.uk (5 March 2025)
• PPN 002 Social Value Model — gov.uk (the eight-theme framework in full)
• Procurement Policy Notes collection — gov.uk (all active PPNs)

Accessed 2026-07-30.