3.1. WDC officers and all those involved in externally sourcing contracts will consider, as part of commissioning and the pre-procurement stage:
- How what is to be procured may improve the social, environmental and economic well-being of a relevant area;
- How they might secure any such improvement; and
- Whether there is a need to undertake consultation on these matters.
3.2. It is recognised that there can be no ‘one size fits all’ model. Under the requirements of the Act consideration needs only be given to ‘matters that are relevant to what is proposed to be procured and, in doing so, commissioners must consider the extent to which it is proportionate’ and so tailored to reflect the service or goods to be procured.
3.3. It is the role of the officers and procurement business partners to consider, on a contract by contract basis, the potential social value outcomes that could be delivered through the procurement process and the most appropriate procurement strategy to achieve this.
3.4. Officers will be expected to evidence that social value has been considered as part of the Procurement Initiation stage.
3.5. Social value priorities for the commissioned service area should be embedded throughout procurement activity and be clear in adverts and tender specifications. Officers and Procurement Business Partners will be responsible for agreeing social value criteria, as well as being open and transparent in terms of defining how social value elements will be weighted in the evaluation and decision-making processes.
3.6. As appropriate, local communities should be engaged in shaping / deciding what is important to them, as well as engaging with the market to understand their ideas for how they can contribute to social value.
3.7. The manner in which evidence of social value outcomes are to be provided is not prescribed by the Act or this policy. Dependent on the requirements of each procurement exercise, WDC may choose to specify requirements explicitly within a tender or ask potential providers to come up with their own innovative ideas.
3.8. Applications to provide services from organisations should demonstrate their and, where appropriate, their supply chains’, ability to add economic, social and environmental value above and beyond simply providing the tendered service and provide evidence demonstrating this.
3.9. Measures should be put in place to ensure that agreed social value activity is monitored and tracked as part of any contracting arrangements.
3.10. To improve transparency, wherever possible and practicable, steps should be taken to enable WDC to report centrally on added social value achieved across the Local Authority through commissioning and procurement arrangements.
3.11. Examples of best practice from both within the Local Authority and other local authorities should be developed to inform future commissioning activity.
