The Social Value Tea 🍵: Week of July 17, 2025
Hello! 👋 Nil here, bringing you the latest drop of all things social value.
It’s playbook season! New frameworks seem to be landing every day, with the NHS, Public Health Wales, Southwark Council and Gloucestershire County Council all releasing updated guidance on social value and wellbeing.
Enjoy the read. xxPS. Arup’s Social Value Lead, Anton Schultz, from Arup is running a quick survey on how organisations report social value in procurement. It’s quick, anonymous, and your insights could help shape better practices. Share your thoughts here.
News news!
Stories you might have missed.
- N𝗛𝗦 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸
The NHS has recently published new guidance on applying social value in the procurement of NHS goods and services. It sets a new standard with clear expectations on KPIs, net zero, health inequalities, and supplier accountability and reaffirms NHS’s commitment to a minimum 10% weighting for social value. - Key messages:
- social value themes should be considered early in the planning process in collaboration with commissioners, operational leads, clinicians, and suppliers to support delivery of broader NHS challenges and priorities
- pre-market engagement is key to ensuring proportionate and relevant questions
- fighting climate change, effective stewardship of the environment or clean energy can be included as a core requirement or a social value theme
- modern slavery should be included as a core requirement where there is a medium or high risk
- creating social value key performance indicators (KPIs) within the contract is critical to assuring and measuring delivery
Read more → NHS
- £500 million UK “Social Outcome Partnership” to Tackle Child Poverty
Treasury Chief Secretary Darren Jones has unveiled a decade-long, £500 million “social outcome partnership” — a public-private investment model designed to fight child poverty. The initiative links taxpayer funds with private capital, delivering modest investor returns only if grassroots programmes hit measurable targets like improving education and employment outcomes. The fund is expected to scale to £1 billion, becoming the largest scheme of its kind globally.
Read more → The Guardian - SVI Pioneers Recognition of the Social Cost of Carbon as a Financial Liability
Social Value International (SVI)’s Board of Trustees has formally committed to accepting responsibility to pay for the social consequences of its Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This commitment, structured as a constructive obligation, has been recognised in the organisation’s 2023/24 financial statements as a liability on the balance sheet, marking a major milestone in sustainability accounting.
Read more→ Social Value International - UK’s Top Social Enterprises Named in 2025 SE100 Awards
Pioneers Post has revealed this year’s SE100 Awards winners, celebrating the UK’s most impactful and resilient social enterprises. From mental health services and community farming to youth employment and women’s empowerment, the 2025 list showcases purpose-driven organisations creating real, measurable change across the country.
Among the winners:
Breadwinners, a social enterprise employing refugees, took the Trailblazing Newcomer Award.
Hey Girls, which tackles period poverty, was honoured for leadership in impact measurement.
Noise Solution, which offers mentoring to support vulnerable young people throught the power of music won Impact Reporting’s Impact Management Pioneer award.
Kibble and PossAbilities were both recognised for their long-term commitment to growth and resilience.
Read more → Pioneers Post
Caught our eye…
Interesting reads worth sharing.
| Social value isn’t a solo act – and it shouldn’t feel like one |
Social value initiatives are often perceived as top-down efforts – senior management sets the agenda and teams implement accordingly with little sense of the ‘why’. Read Klow Consulting’s latest article. Read more
| More Than a Job: The True Power of Social Value Hiring |
Inclusive Recruitment & Social Value Champion Ifan Hembrough spotlights that with the right approach, social value hiring goes from complex and resource heavy to creating meaningful opportunities that benefits businesses and community alike. Read more
| Social Values: Are they the new kid on the block for SME’s? |
| David Wallis recently delved into social value and how SME’s currently view social value with a mixture of curiosity and caution and gives some real examples of social value in action. Read more |
Spotlight on: Social Value Voices
Great examples of social value work worth showcasing
Southwark Council releases new Social Value Framework and toolkit
Southwark’s cabinet has formally adopted a Social Value Framework to secure positive outcomes for our communities and help deliver on our Southwark 2030 ambitions.
Well worth a read to learn more about their framework and the toolkit for suppliers!
Public Health Wales launches social value e-guide for public health
Public Health Wales has launched a new online guide to help public health practitioners, researchers and, policy and decision-makers understand and demonstrate the broader social, economic and environmental value of public health interventions. It includes practical tools like Social Return on Investment (SROI) and Social Cost Benefit Analysis (SCBA) – all adapted for public health.
Gloucestershire County Council publishes its first Social Value Toolkit for bidders and suppliers
It aims to provide additional guidance on local needs within Gloucestershire and Council priorities, and help support delivery of Social Value which will make a genuine difference. An important read for those working at councils on how to communite social value and share priorities that bring added wider value to individuals, communities and the environment.
Greater Manchester Social Value Network seeking new members
Matt Richardson will be stepping down as Chair of the GMSVN and they’re actively searching for a new Chair and new members to join their steering group.
🟣Role of Chair:
If you or one of your contacts is interested in this role – please complete the expression of interest 👉 https://lnkd.in/dWXHCwkh by 5pm on the 31st July
🟣Role of Steering Group Member:
If you or one of your contacts is interested in this role – please complete the expression of interest 👉 https://lnkd.in/dQRx3Z8Y by 5pm on the 31st July.
Who’s hiring?
Here’s this week’s latest social value jobs list, published every Friday via our LinkedIn company page.
- Colin Jess from Social Enterprise Northern Ireland is hiring a New Membership and Relationship Manager: https://lnkd.in/dzU-Saq9
- Faye Dasi-Sutton from Saga plc. is hiring a Social value coordinator: https://lnkd.in/ddC3detQ
- Group Social Value Lead – Sureserve Group: https://lnkd.in/gK65-5TS
- Social Value Coordinator ata AMERESCO LIMITED: https://lnkd.in/gyaiQ8ze
- Sustainability & Social Value Manager https://lnkd.in/gwSv7J6N – Serco
- Head of Impact & Evaluation https://lnkd.in/gmZzACSv – Turn2us
- Head of Policy Engagement https://lnkd.in/gmEbmG2E – The National Lottery Community Fund
- Advocacy Content and Sustainability Manager https://lnkd.in/gWTnYuCZ – GEDU Global Education
- Equity and Systems Change Lead https://lnkd.in/gqCkTvbG – Young Lives vs Cancer
- Interim Director – Campaigns, Policy and Programmes https://lnkd.in/gTC87YQY– War on Want
- Impact and Sustainability Manager https://lnkd.in/g-QTJMtX – The Chancery Rosewood
- ESG Analyst https://lnkd.in/gWjXpWB6 – Inspired PLC
- Associate (Environmental, Social & Governance) https://lnkd.in/gu3ZDA6u – Lloyds Banking Group
- Sustainability Director – https://lnkd.in/gaGj2F2v Allen & York (Professional & Technical) Limited
- SESG Analyst with Quality Assurance https://lnkd.in/gWT_XG3P – Food Team International LTD
- Climate Risk Director https://lnkd.in/gYwdrSDQ – Bailey & French
- Sustainability Finance Reporting Manager https://lnkd.in/gcSXmcAg – Stanton House
- Director of Energy and ESG https://lnkd.in/gu_33wzs – UPP
- Data Governance Consultant – ESG https://lnkd.in/ggyFMTip– Billigence
👥Where to be
Upcoming events, awards deadlines and networking opportunities
- The Procurement Plug will take place August 26th in Glasgow
- MeasureUp spotlight on: new environmental values will take place September 10 via Teams
- Socitm’s Maximising Social Value in Procurement: A practical workshop will take place October 23 via Teams
- Institute of Social Value’s two day conference October 9-10 in Birmingham – early bird tickets now available
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