What is Social Value?
The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 places a legal requirement on public bodies to consider ‘Social Value’ in the commissioning and procurement of services. Social Value is the positive impact that businesses and organisations can have on the local community. This can include additional economic, environmental, and social benefits to the wider community outside of the contracting parameters. The Council is committed to including Social Value in its contracts. This means that when we buy goods and services, we will consider how the provider can benefit the local community.
The Social Value Portal is an online solution that enables Wirral Council to measure and manage the contribution from suppliers to society in pounds and pence. It allows reporting on both nonfinancial and financial data by measuring environmental, social and economic activities. The TOMs framework provides a common language for measuring Social Value and is endorsed by the Local Government Association (LGA). When tendering for contracts valued at £100k or above for initial contract period, Social Value must be applied to the evaluation via the Social Value Portal.
Here you can download documents that outline Wirral Council’s Social Value Policy and templates.