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Delivering social value in Norfolk through their supplier partners
Norfolk County Council,
5 minute read
Huge gains for your local community by treating social value as a priority from the outset of your relationship with your supplier, and encouraging them to be open to ideas on how to deliver it.
Summary
Social value isn’t a challenge it is an opportunity
Speak to suppliers early and ask them what they can offer, you may be surprised!
This is an opportunity to build a better long term relationship with a supplier and achieve outcomes in your region by working together
The Problem
Social value is an important aspect of public procurement for local authorities in the UK. The Social Value Act 2012 requires local authorities to demonstrate social value when procuring suppliers, and yet there is a lack of guidance to help public officials make that happen.
Equally not all suppliers know how to address the social value requirements mandated in tender documents. This results in lost opportunities for social value to be demonstrated and the benefits resulting gained in communities.
The Approach
Norfolk County Council have managed to find innovative ways of maximising the social value of their contracts through their approach to pre-market engagement.
“Speak to suppliers early and ask them what they can offer, you may be surprised!”
Norfolk County council engage early with suppliers on social value. Norfolk has a proactive and open conversation with suppliers in an attempt to sound out as many opportunities as possible. This approach keeps the conversation open, and leads ultimately to more creative ideas being identified.
Being clear and realistic with the supplier is key, as is demonstrating your commitment to social value. It’s important to set goals tailored to be within the supplier's capabilities, as well as regularly engaging with the supplier to ensure the social value work is on track and still available. This is crucial for ensuring the original social value element agreed doesn’t get forgotten mid project forcing you to change the scope of a contract part way through.
Norfolk County Council’s top tips on how to make ‘social value’ work for ICT procurement in the public sector:
Engage early and agree what you could do together.
Once you have agreed, write it down.
Ensure you have come to an agreement that if there is equipment involved how it is purchased.
Once you have engaged in the contract, remind suppliers of their commitment for social value.
Manage it and have social value as a standing item in your commercial meetings
The Results
This approach has led to some big successes for Norfolk including:
Contracts delivering up to £160k of social value usually as an annual pot to be spent in agreement with the supplier
Help for young people to access technology this included special events to improve digital skills, providing equipment and supplier professional staff support
Equipment / kits for schools to host and support events
Suppliers releasing their staff to provide Staff hours to support special digital skills clubs
Positive staff engagement in the social value aspect of contracts, including awards ceremonies for the biggest contributors. Providing funding to organise the event, prizes and presenters.
Much better working relationship with suppliers as you are jointly working on something that benefits the region which both of you are engaged with
Mobile network WifI access points to support digital learning in hard to reach areas
Internet of Things sensors to prototype new technology, to learn, monitor, manage and maintain existing services such as providing Air Quality sensors and creating a dashboard.
Laptop and tablet devices to support the digitally excluded in the region where they are needed the most
Image: Equipment provided to schools to support digital learning
Next steps
Norfolk County Council is focused on two key things including:
Ensure a focus on social value for every contract going forward.
Look strategically across the organisation to see where social value and ICT procurement can provide the biggest impact - A key example of this in Norfolk could be the provision of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to help vulnerable adults have independent lives reducing their reliance on the social care system, and the costs for the council which go with that.
If you would like to know more about how Norfolk County Council enhanced social value in their contracts please feel free to get in touch with them. You can also take a look at the Crown Commercial Service guidance on Social Value for help.
