Social Value Statement

To enable Councils to outline key areas of focus, operational procedures, successes and resources available the National Social Value Taskforce have developed a Social Value Statement template document which can be used to communicate key messages and secure support from staff, partners, suppliers and other locally based organisations to help create social value benefits for your community. Over the past few months, it has become clear that the need for social value is greater than ever, as public and private sectors continue to face unprecedented challenges in the wake on the Covid-19 pandemic.


A recent review of 343 Council websites found that only 23% had published a social value strategy online, 32% mentioned social value but had not published a strategy and 44% made no mention of social value online - having a clear, committed Social Value Statement will help communicate this to your key stakeholders.

Introduction

This document provides guidance on what information could be included in your statement. The statement will be a public-facing document - to aid transparency the statement should be written in simple language that is easily understood and be succinct but cover all the relevant points and provide appropriate links to relevant publications, documents or policies for your authority.

The National Social Value Taskforce has not prescribed the precise detail of what a statement should include but has provided a non-exhaustive list of information it recommends could be included.

There are nine suggested sections to be included in the statement listed below and developed in more detail further down the page.

  1. Approach and intentions in relation to social value
  2. Key areas of focus
  3. Internal engagement, communication and management of social value
  4. Implementation approach for embedding social value
  5. Internal support available to achieve targets and ambitions
  6. Collaboration, external engagement and support available to partners that want to contribute to creating place based social value
  7. Performance Management
  8. Achievements and benefits realisation
  9. Actions and next steps for delivery

Social Value Statements should also include:

Name of Organisation:

Publication Date:

Review Date:

Signed off by:

Timeframe: (i.e. Year 1, Y2, Y3 etc)

Guidance on how to complete the statement

  • There are questions and prompts under each heading which will help to develop the content for your statement.
  • None of the questions or prompts are mandatory however you are encouraged to provide as much supporting information as possible. If you are not currently implementing a specific activity, consider including it in your action plan to improve and/or further develop your social value approach.
  • Relevant internal approval/sign off should be secured so the statement can be published on your Council’s website.
  • Councils are encouraged to share this information with the LGA and the National Social Value Taskforce - please email completed statements to [email protected] and [email protected]
  • In addition to the Social Value Statement, Councils are also encouraged to complete the Social Value Maturity Index (SVMI) which provides a comprehensive look at your present performance, your future targets and how to get there.

Recommended Content

  1. Approach and intentions in relation to social value

In this section provide an introduction to the organisations approach and intentions in relation to social value i.e.

  • Explain why social value is important to your organisation
  • Share your organisation’s ambitions for social value
  • Set out which Council activities social value will be applied to e.g. procurement, planning activity, internal project management etc)
  1. Key areas of focus

In this section outline the key areas that the organisation will be focusing on i.e.

  • Social value priorities
  • Social value themes & outcomes
  1. Internal engagement, communication and management of social value

In this section outline how social value is communicated, co-ordinated and managed internally within the organisation i.e.

  • People accountable for Social Value:
    • Member: Cabinet Member/Portfolio Holder
    • Principal Officer: CEO, Senior Manager etc
  • People responsible for delivery: Social Value Board, Service, Social Value Lead, managers, officers etc.
  • Social value included in or linked to policies and strategies (reference and/or link to relevant published documents e.g. Social Value Policy, Council Plan, Procurement Standing Orders, Ethical Procurement Policy, Inclusive Growth Strategy, Community Wealth Building, Planning etc.)
  • Approach, updates and actions discussed at team meetings, department meetings, corporate management meetings, cabinet meetings, internal web page, staff newsletters etc.
  • Roles/responsibilities of different functions i.e. commissioning, procurement, economic development, finance, policy, planning, sustainability etc.
  1. Implementation approach for embedding social value

In this section outline the implementation process for social value.

  • Social value discussed at all stages i.e. identification of need, commissioning, procurement and contract management for all areas (goods, works and services)
  • How has social value considerations been implemented in planning?
  • How has social value been included in wholly owned companies, joint ventures etc
  • Social value included in approval processes (e.g. business cases, gateways, sourcing plans, funding requests) and in all contracts awarded (tenders, frameworks, waivers, extensions) over a specific threshold e.g. £50k, £100k etc
  • Reasons for not including social value as a consideration clearly documented and scrutinised by management
  • Social Value is included as a weighted criterion in decision making e.g. min 10% (as part of quality criteria or separate from price and quality)
  • Suppliers are required to make contractual commitments and are assessed on both the quantity and quality of responses
  • Social value is part of the contract management process
  • Feedback is collated (at the end of projects, monthly, annually) at (department level / organisational) and is reviewed (annually to continuously improve)
  1. Internal support available to achieve targets and ambitions

In this section outline how staff are supported to contribute and succeed in delivering the organisations social value ambitions for example:

  • Staff are provided with access to training on social value
  • The National TOMs as developed by the LGA will be used to provide a standardised approach for staff to implement social value across the organisation
  • Detailed guidance documents are available to staff i.e. social value toolkit, process maps, ITT templates, contract clauses etc.
  • Technology is in place to provide easy access to data and help staff manage and report on the delivery of social value
  1. Collaboration, external engagement and support available to partners that want to contribute to creating place based social value

In this section outline the organisations approach to social value performance management for example: 

  • Social value is measured in both financial and non-financial terms using the National TOMs Framework
  • Commitments made by suppliers are reported on and monitored during the delivery of contracts
  • Social value delivery is tracked at contract level, department level, organisational level
  • Evidence of social value delivery is provided by suppliers and reviewed to ensure benefits are realised
  • Annual social value audits are conducted to ensure commitments are delivered
  • Social value delivery is reported on quarterly, annually to Corporate Management Teams and Members
  • Social value targets are set annually by: Cabinet, Management, Departments etc
  • Social value is a key performance indicator at cabinet scrutiny meetings, corporate management meetings, individual contracts
  1. Performance Management

In this section outline the organisations approach to social value performance management for example: 

  • Social value is measured in both financial and non-financial terms using the National TOMs Framework
  • Commitments made by suppliers are reported on and monitored during the delivery of contracts
  • Social value delivery is tracked at contract level, department level, organisational level
  • Evidence of social value delivery is provided by suppliers and reviewed to ensure benefits are realised
  • Annual social value audits are conducted to ensure commitments are delivered
  • Social value delivery is reported on quarterly, annually to Corporate Management Teams and Members
  • Social value targets are set annually by: Cabinet, Management, Departments etc
  • Social value is a key performance indicator at cabinet scrutiny meetings, corporate management meetings, individual contracts
  1. Achievements and benefits realisation

In this section outline the organisations social value achievements to date.

Using National TOMs can help social value which can help you quantify the benefits

  • Employment and Skills opportunities: Types of roles, groups of individuals that have benefitted, number of opportunities, £value
  •  Local spend: £value / % of overall spend
  • MSME spend: £value / % of overall spend
  • Carbon reduction: tonnes / £
  1. Actions and next steps for delivery

In this section outline how the organisation will deliver this statement for example:

  • How will the actions be captured?
  • Who will sign off the action plan for the year?
  • Which individual / service will be accountable for delivering the plan?
  • How will the progress of delivery be measured / reported on during the year?

Example: We will develop an annual social value action plan that will be signed off by cabinet and will outline the actions, deliverables, resources and timescales to achieve the ambitions outlined in this statement as well as the social value benefits have been realised for that period.


Additional Resources

In addition to the template for creating your Social Value Statement the following resources are available to help you promote and develop your social value approach.

  • The LGA has partnered with the Social Value Portal to develop a set of Themes, Outcomes and Measures (TOMs) to help councils to measure the value they are achieving through implementing the Social Value Act. This resource is free to use and can be downloaded using the link below. 
  • The Social Value Maturity Index (SVMI) provides a comprehensive look at your present performance, your future targets and how to get there  

If you are interested in receiving a free anonymised benchmarking report please email your completed SVMI to [email protected]