Social value
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Social value in Barnet
An organisation has social value when it provides services to benefit not only itself, but also the wider community.
When we ask an organisation to provide services, we will consider their social value.
Our Social Value Policy (PDF, 377 KB) was approved in October 2023, this explains our view on social value.
Commissioning and procuring
We ask that bidders submit their social value offer with their bid, and this will be scored alongside price and quality criteria.
We consider suppliers that go beyond service delivery and can secure wider benefits for the community. These wider benefits should bring social, environmental, or economic advantages to the community:
- social: equality and diversity, social inclusion, better accessibility to community initiatives, stronger civil society, safer communities
- environmental: sustainable procurement, carbon reduction, waste reduction, and recycling biodiversity gain
- economic: innovation, strong local economy, sustainable jobs, apprenticeship, local procurement, skills development
Contracts exceeding £25,000 are subject to social value considerations. For contracts surpassing £100,000, we have a minimum expectation of 5% reinvested in social value initiatives by suppliers.
We also have a minimum expectation of one employment outcome for every £1 million in contract valuation. Options include:
- a full-time contract
- an apprenticeship
- or a supported internship.
Delivering social value
The Themes, Outcomes and Measures (TOMs) are different ways that suppliers can fulfil their social value commitments:
- Themes: the overarching strategic themes that we are looking to pursue
- Outcomes: the objectives that we are looking to achieve that will contribute to the theme
- Measures: the measures that can be used to assess whether these outcomes have been achieved
Barnet Council has designed its own set of TOMs in which we have identified 3 themes, against which there are a total of 9 outcomes and 47 measures.
The 3 themes that we have identified correspond to parts of Our Plan for Barnet, our Reducing Poverty Strategy, our Sustainable Commercial Strategy, and our Sustainability Strategy. The outcomes and measures sit underneath each of these themes.
Social Value Policy (PDF, 377 KB)
Social Value Toolkit - guide for Bidders/Suppliers (PDF, 229 KB)
Equality in our work
We want Barnet to be an inclusive borough where all our residents can thrive.
Equality is a part of everything we do, from the money we spend and the people we employ to the services we provide. This includes addressing and ending discrimination and supporting equality of opportunity.
Our work on equality is centred on the Equality Act and the framework that provides to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity.
All organisations looking to provide services on our behalf must demonstrate that all reasonable steps are taken to allow equal access and treatment.
Contact us
If you would like to find out more about social value at Barnet, you can contact us on strategy@barnet.gov.uk