03 July 2018 
Emma Keenan, Procurement Specialist
David Lidington, Minister for the Cabinet Office, recently revealed the intention to strengthen the Social Value Act to make providing social value an explicit requirement for all government departments when commissioning services. In a speech at the think tank Reform he explained that the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2013 would be reformed to strengthen the government’s commitment to awarding contracts based on social value, rather than just value for money.
Whilst it is unclear how this yet will affect public procurement regulations, we can be reassured that this is an area our sector is already looking at more closely. A recently published handbook from the University of Northampton, How to do "good stuff" when buying things, showcases just what can be done to enhance social impact, with a focus on how social value can be derived from the procurement practices and supply chain of Universities. It will be a really useful reference tool for University procurement, sustainability and estates teams.
If you have a case study you wish to share with the wider HE procurement community please do get in touch.
