Social Value in Commissioning

Abstract

Since the introduction of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, there has been a common misconception that Social Value is inherently about Procurement. We think that the process of Procurement is a means through which questions can be asked around Social Value commitments; however, Social Value should come into dialogue way before a tender exercise. It must be at the forefront of political visioning, strategy development, officer behaviour and the design of goods and services. In this chapter, we explore how Public Authorities and other Anchor Institutions can embed Social Value into everything they do, utilising Commissioning and Procurement as the basis.