REPORT OF THE CABINET

The Cabinet met on 18 April 2023.  Attendees: -

                  Councillor Glazier (Chair)

                  Councillors Bennett, Bowdler, Claire Dowling, Maynard, and Standley.

1. Scrutiny Review of Procurement: Social Value and Buying Local

1.1 The Cabinet considered a report of the Place Scrutiny Committee on its Review of Procurement: Social Value and Buying Local. The report of the Scrutiny Committee is included elsewhere in the agenda (item 16).

1.2 In March 2022 the Place Scrutiny Committee agreed to establish a Review Board to  examine the Council’s approach to social value in procurement and Buying Local initiatives. The scope of the review included an investigation of various aspects of the current policy and approaches including:

· Examining how well social value principles are communicated and understood by departments.

· Examining the processes used and in particular the handover from the Procurement Team to the service department contract managers who are responsible for monitoring and ensuring the social value measures are delivered.

· Looking at the engagement with the Council’s supply chain: do they understand the requirement and what we are trying to achieve; what help and support might they need.

· Exploring whether it is possible/beneficial to move away from the use of proxy values in the current quantitative approach to measuring social value to a more outcome focussed qualitative approach and what this could look like.

· Review and comment on the draft Social Value Policy.

· Examine whether narrowing down and prioritising what social value the Council asks for from suppliers, would be beneficial in achieving the Council’s objectives. This may already be taking place to some extent when using the Social Value Charter (e.g. through the use of tailored advice for specific or larger contracts).

· Explore opportunities to use social value to support action on climate change and a sustainable local economy.

· Consideration of the Orbis Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy

1.3       The Place Scrutiny Review addressed the following lines of enquiry:

· How can we improve the current approach to Social Value and Buying Local?

· How can Social Value and Buying Local be used to achieve the Council’s objectives and support action on climate change and a sustainable local economy?

1.4       The Place Scrutiny Committee has completed its review of Procurement: Social Value and Buying Local. The review makes nine recommendations which address the areas covered by the review. A copy of the report is included elsewhere in the agenda.

1.5       Overall the Review Board finds that a great deal of work has been undertaken to make sure the Council’s social value requirements are well understood and considered at an early stage of the procurement process. However, there is more work to do on the handover to service departments and the monitoring of the delivery of social value commitments.

1.6       The Council’s current approach to measuring social value using quantitative measures is quite mature. The Board therefore focused on developing recommendations which improve the existing policies and procedures and recommends establishing a business case for more resources to support contract management including monitoring social value. The Board considers that there may be an opportunity now to move to a more qualitative approach to measuring social value, which may provide wider community benefits, that may in turn help support our Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise partners, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and deliver the Council’s objectives. The review also makes a recommendation to conduct a trial of a more qualitative approach to measuring social value requirements in contracts, which it considers has the potential to yield benefits across the Council.

1.7       In welcoming the finding of the Scrutiny Committee, the Cabinet has considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer (as set out in Appendix 1 to this report) on the specific recommendations and endorsed it as its response to the recommendations.

1.8 The Cabinet, in welcoming the report, recommends the County Council to –

✡ approve the response of the Chief Operating Officer on the implementation of the recommendations in the Scrutiny Committee’s report.

18 April 2023                                                                    KEITH GLAZIER 

(Chair)