We add value by providing support tailored to your needs, including any or all of the following elements:
Social value refers to the broader impact of an organisation’s activities on the local community, economy, and environment. For SMEs, this could involve creating local jobs, reducing environmental impact, supporting community initiatives, or enhancing local skills. Social value is about going beyond profit to generate positive, measurable outcomes that benefit society as a whole.
Increasingly, clients and public sector contracts require businesses to demonstrate their commitment to social value. For SMEs, this can differentiate your business from competitors, win new contracts, and strengthen relationships with local communities. It’s also a way to align your business with key sustainability and social goals, such as net-zero targets and reducing inequality.
Start by looking at the areas where your business can make a difference. This could be through local employment, apprenticeships, supporting local suppliers, or investing in environmental initiatives. At our consultancy, we help SMEs map their core activities to social value goals, ensuring they’re realistic, measurable, and impactful.
A robust social value strategy typically includes:
Social value is measured through both qualitative and quantitative methods. Metrics might include the number of local jobs created, the reduction in carbon footprint, or the financial value of community investments. We use industry standards like the Social Value Portal or bespoke frameworks to help businesses track and report their social value impact effectively.
Under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, public sector bodies must consider social value in their procurement processes. While there are no strict legal requirements for private companies, demonstrating social value is increasingly becoming a key factor in winning public sector contracts. We help SMEs ensure compliance and align their activities with these growing expectations.
Integrating social value into day-to-day operations involves embedding it into your company’s culture and decision-making processes. This could mean adjusting procurement policies to prioritise local suppliers, or setting KPIs for environmental and community-focused outcomes. We support SMEs in making these changes while ensuring they align with broader business objectives.
Absolutely! Social value isn’t about the size of your business; it’s about the impact you make. Even small initiatives—like hiring locally, providing training opportunities, or reducing waste—can have a significant effect. Our role is to help SMEs maximize their impact by identifying scalable, manageable social value actions that align with their capacity.