This policy is aimed
at all Officers that commission, procure or contract manage on
behalf of East Sussex County Council. It documents how the Council
will incorporate Social Value into procurements and contracts to
ensure that benefits are being maximised for residents and
communities.
Social Value has
been a priority for the council for some time. Our suppliers have
been helping to deliver apprentices, community value and engaging
with skills initiatives for many years. In 2012 the government
brought into law the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 (the
Act) to require the application and consideration of social,
economic or environmental benefits when commissioning and procuring
goods, services and works.
The Act requires the
Council to consider:
1. How what
is proposed to be procured might improve the economic, social and
environmental well-being of the area where it exercises its
functions; and
2. How, in
conducting the process of procurement, it might act with a view to
securing that improvement.
The Act is a tool to
help Commissioners maximise value gained from their procurement
project. It drives better commissioning by encouraging Officers to
engage with their local providers and communities to design better
services, often finding innovative solutions to difficult
problems.
Social Value
·
Is
not just ‘social’ – it means generating social,
economic and environmental impact
·
Involves
a measurable change for the better
·
Is
achieved by sharing resources and working together
·
Redefines
‘value for money’ from cost-saving to value
adding
The term
‘Social Value’ is increasingly used across all sectors
to describe the total positive impact of an organisation or a
project in the area in which they operate.
At East Sussex
County Council, we don’t just deliver services. Increasingly
we work with communities to design solutions together and support
existing projects and initiatives with our resources, networks and
expertise where possible. Social Value in this context means
working together and using all our resources to maximise our
impact.
The key benefits of
embedding Social Value into the Council’s culture
include:
·
Delivers better value for money by requiring our suppliers to do
more than just deliver the core services.
·
Increases local spend by rewarding local organisations or those
that employ a local supply chain (especially with the use of Small
and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)/Voluntary, Community and Social
Enterprises (VCSEs).
·
Increases opportunities for disadvantaged people and promotes
social mobility.
·
Promotes a more responsible supply chain.
·
Leads to greener / cleaner areas and cities.
·
Leads to greater innovation and long-term thinking.
·
Helps to address specific skills gaps within a variety of
sectors.
Social Value is based upon the four main
pillars of Sustainability, Social, Economic and Environment. These
are intrinsically linked to the Council’s four overarching
priority outcomes of:
·
Driving sustainable economic growth
·
Keeping vulnerable people safe
·
Helping people help themselves
·
Making best use of resources now and for the future
The
East Sussex Social Value Model ensures that we focus our
pursuit of Social Value on what is most important in East Sussex
right now. The Social Value Priorities and Outcomes within the
model are based on the Council’s overarching priority
outcomes above, supporting the current organisation strategies that
underpin the delivery of the organisational priorities.
By embedding Social Value in the culture of
the Council, we will be better placed to support the organisation
in meeting its priorities and we will do this through the
following:
·
Consider Social Value at the early stages when Commissioning
– “How can this requirement be better shaped to bring
wider benefits to the area?”
·
Think about whether the services they are going to buy, or the way
they are going to buy them, could secure additional benefits for
the residents of the county.
·
Engage with commissioning colleagues early in the contracting
lifecycle to provide guidance and identify opportunities and
strategies to secure Social Value.
·
Procurement will use Social Value in the quality evaluation
criteria, aligning to the Council’s Goals and Priorities in
the contract.
·
Robust Contract Management – consistently monitoring and
managing contracts to ensure Social Value commitments are met.
Aligning with National Priorities
The East Sussex Social Value Model is based on
the methodology utilised across Central Government and is therefore
considered best practice in terms of aligning procurement practices
with the requirements of the National Procurement Policy Statement
(NPPS).
Contracting authorities must have regard to
the NPPS in the exercise of their procurement functions as required
by section 13 of the Procurement Act 2023.
·
When it is relevant and proportionate to the contract.
·
As early as possible in the Commissioning cycle.
Our guiding principles regarding Social Value
should form the basis of all considerations during the
Commissioning, Procurement and Contract Management cycles:
3. The Social
Value proposed should be of direct benefit to the local community
in which the contract is performed (i.e. East Sussex) and;
4. It should
be relevant to the contract matter and relate to
community/societal, economic or environmental considerations.
Social Value plays an important role in
allowing the council to deliver not just financial or service
specific benefits but also aligning its activity to deliver real
value against the organisation’s aims and objectives. When
commissioning, specifying and procuring a contract it is important
that all officers consider how Social Value can contribute towards
both service and corporate level objectives.
We want Social Value to be in the culture of
the Council and to do this we must consider it in Commissioning,
Procurement and Contract Management. To enable this, we will:
·
Support and enable Commissioners to identify Social Value in their
projects from the outset.
·
Aid Departments to target Social Value outcomes strategically
across their pipeline of projects.
·
Support Procurement by providing the tools and support to embed
Social Value in the procurement process.
·
Support our Suppliers by helping them to understand our current
priorities and areas of focus.
·
Empower our Suppliers and Partners to contribute to delivering
Social Value –charities/communities/enterprises working
together.
·
Strive to have Social Value considered in all appropriate Council
strategies to help build better communities and improve the
wellbeing of East Sussex residents.
·
By providing guidance that can be used by Officers to understand
the needs and priorities of certain sectors. This will be reviewed
quarterly, drawing insight from the Social Value Review Group.
·
By providing a suite of case studies to demonstrate practical
approaches for securing and delivering Social Value.
·
By defining Social Value Outcomes and Key Performance Indicators in
our contracts.
·
By monitoring and measuring commitments and deliverables.
·
The ESCC Social Value Model will provide an open, fair and
transparent method for evaluating the social value commitments
submitted by bidders during the tender process.
·
By celebrating our successes, showcasing the benefits and sharing
best practice and strategies to achieve more in the future.
·
By ensuring Contract Managers understand the importance of Social
Value in the management of the contract.
·
By ensuring Social Value commitments offered by our suppliers are
monitored over time.
·
By regularly reviewing and adapting the East Sussex Social Value
Model to ensure it reflects current organisational priorities and
strategies, and incorporates lessons learned from continued
use.
For more detail on how to get involved,
examples of what it looks like in practice and practical steps we
can take:
·
Visit our
Social Value webpage [to be reviewed and updated
alongside launching new policy]
·
Get in touch at Social.Value@EastSussex.gov.uk
