Last Updated on May 26, 2017
The Office of Civil Society has launched a series of case studies around measuring social value showing how providers apply social value. The Office of Civil Society has funded a total of £30,000, to eight different external providers with expertise in social value and/or impact management, to work with commissioners in practically applying the Public Services (Social Value Act) 2012.
Each provider has documented its experience through a case study. This week the first two case studies of the series have been published on GOV.UK. The case studies range from an adult social care provider to forums supporting voluntary organisations.
Each of these organisations worked in partnership with a public sector organisation to either:
- Create a social value framework.
- Follow a procurement opportunity.
- Conduct a cross-organisational social value review.
The aim was to help embed social value into their processes. The remaining case studies will be rolled out between October and December 2016.
The case studies provide real accounts of what can be involved at the forefront of generating social value. As well as giving a practical insight, the case studies are intended to serve as starting points for initiating new ideas and for sparking innovative thinking. Any aspects found to be of interest within the case studies can be applied and developed accordingly.
These case studies are most likely to be of interest to:
- Commissioners seeking practical solutions to help them embed social value across their organisation, or within a specific procurement opportunity.
- Procurers looking for examples of best practice to follow.
- Any party with an interest in finding out more about social value – as the journeys they describe showcase not only their successes, but their experience as a whole, including lessons learned.
The Act came into force on 31st January 2013. It requires commissioners in England and Wales to think about the value they can secure for their area when buying services at the pre-procurement stage. This includes thinking how the services they are going to buy might improve the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of the area. The Act encourages commissioners to talk to their local provider market or community to design better services, often finding new and innovative solutions to difficult problems.