» Resources » How to include social value in procurement processes Blog How to include social value in procurement processes Follow the lead of Transport for London and other progressive clients and use this approach to integrate social considerations into a procurement process. This approach fits neatly within the guidance provided by the ISO 20400 in sustainable procurement. State your social value requirements in your specification Base your requirements on the need you’ve identified through consultation and stakeholder engagement. State links to policies, where they exist. Relate the requirements to core matter of the contract. Be clear about what you are trying to achieve. Ask bidders to provide action plan(s) as part of response to invitation to tender Ask bidders to explaining what they would do, how, when and what this would deliver. Ask for targets or indicators, if you want to. Provide a word limit – small and medium companies can put in great responses when word limits are tight because they focus on what they do rather than inserting ‘corporate speak’. Be clear that the successful bidder will be contractually bound to deliver their action plan(s). Evaluate and score action plans Include score(s) in a balanced scorecard approach to contract award. The higher the weighting the better! Be realistic about how much – or little – social value can be generated if the weighting is heavily skewed towards price. Hold the successful bidder to delivering their action plan(s) The team delivering the contract might not be the same that write the tender. They might need reminding of their action plan(s) and need some encouragement to deliver them. If you have colleagues or local stakeholders who can help them, all the better. Measure and report social impacts and value Celebrate success! By Billy Wilkinson Dec 5, 2018 Share: Related Articles April 2025 Blog From Buzzword to Backbone: Making the Business Case for AI in Responsible Procurement Vaishali Baid April 2025 Blog From Buzzword to Backbone: Making the Business Case for AI in Responsible Procurement AI is no longer just a shiny tech buzzword. AI is everywhere now within organisations and is taking a priority to reshape business operations, and procurement is not left behind. It’s right in the thick of this transformation. But when it comes to responsible procurement, AI isn’t just a tool for efficiency, it has the […] Keagan Allin April 2025 Blog Extended Producer Responsibility Explained: Who’s Affected and What to Do Lucy Picken April 2025 Blog Extended Producer Responsibility Explained: Who’s Affected and What to Do Extended Producer Responsibility (“EPR”) is one of a number of policies being introduced in the UK. The Environment Act 2021 introduced EPR, as it contains a framework for introducing the scheme, which builds on existing waste laws, and gives producers of packaging more responsibility for the cost of managing products. What is EPR and why […] Keagan Allin April 2025 Blog Earth Day 2025 Action Sustainability Staff April 2025 Blog Earth Day 2025 Earth Day, marked every year on 22 April, is a global reminder of the importance of environmental protection and collective action. It encourages individuals, organisations, and governments to reflect on their impact and take practical steps towards a more sustainable future. This year’s theme for Earth Day is “our power, our planet”, with a specific […] Keagan Allin