Welcome to the Social Value Journal.

If our communities are the main beneficiaries of Social Value, our community organisations must be central actors in the process. To what extent are our community organisations aware of Social Value, how it works and have they benefited? Given the Cost of Living Crisis, the Energy Crisis and the Housing Crisis, not to mention a […]

Andrew is the Head of Procurement at Onward Homes Hello Andrew, how are you?  I’m doing well thanks – and especially looking forward to what we have planned over the next year at Onward. Can you tell us what your role is at Onward Homes and how Social Value comes into it?  I’m the Head […]

LONDON, WEDNESDAY 8 JUNE 2022, 9AM: The Social Value Exchange, the online marketplace that maximises social and environmental value in supply chains, is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Holden, Chief for Business Unit Success at digital transformation company AND Digital, as a new Non-executive Director. The Social Value Exchange has seen enormous growth […]

Here’s some nostalgia for you: the dial-up modem sound. If your brain isn’t already replaying the distinct sound of that theatrical dial tone followed by incessant buzz, let me remind you. Interestingly, the sound that preceded an (often unreliable) internet connection still exists in The Museum of Endangered Sounds, accompanied by Nokia ringtones, the sound […]

The Social Value Exchange leverages public procurement spend to maximise Social Value. Under the Social Value Act, UK govt can compel their suppliers – on whom they spend £290bn each year – to create additional community benefits. That is, government suppliers have to put something back into the local place that they are providing their […]

Kent County Council is using the online marketplace the Social Value Exchange to generate community benefits from its procurement spend on behalf of its local VCSE partners [7 July, 2021. LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM] Kent County Council today announced it is using the Social Value Exchange to get extra resources into its local VCSE organisations.  Social […]

The Community Impact Partnership has invested in the Social Value Exchange. As part of its investment, they asked for an independent evaluation of our work… The Community Impact Partnership, made up of Peabody, L&Q, Clarion and Orbit housing associations, is committed to generating social impact and Social Value through their investments and has chosen to […]

To better understand how the recovery from Covid-19 will look, I’ve spoken to 5 leaders across the private, public and civic society sectors to see what they think about these extreme times and what they think will follow.  Jack Hopkins, the Leader of the Lambeth Council Paul Miller OBE, the Managing Director and CEO of […]

Julian is a Social Value Manager at EQUANS Hi Julian, how are you? I’m good thanks Dan, been enjoying being out and about in the community in the great weather the past month. Can you tell us a bit about your role and the Social Value work you do?  I’ve been a Social Value Manager at […]

“It is obscene to suppose that this harm can be reduced to the obvious fact that users receive no fee for the raw material they supply. That critique is a misdirection that would use a pricing mechanism to institutionalise and therefore legitimate the extraction of human behaviour for manufacturing and sale.”  (excerpt from ‘The Age […]

Chichi is the Social Value Adviser at the Hyde Group and convenes the Social Value Leaders Group Hi Chichi, how are you today?  Hi Dan.  I am well thanks.  A little suspicious of the weather – it’s been acting rather cute and spring-like today, as if it didn’t transport half the country’s bins and garden sheds […]

A national Social Value research project, co-authored by the Social Value Exchange and Social Value UK Our research goal is to understand the extent to which Social Value committed by suppliers at tender stage is delivered, and how that is being verified.  Anecdotal evidence suggests there are challenges around verification of delivery of Social Value, […]

Hi Shariat, how are you? Did you manage to recharge over the festive period?  Hi Dan, Thanks I had a great break full of the usual but it feels like a long time ago now. Your job title is Policy and Governance Manager for Birmingham City Council. What’s on your to-do list for 2022?  Top 5 […]

Your Social Value questions answered… When there’s a fixed cost for a piece of work, it’s straightforward for suppliers to commit Social Value upfront in proportion to the work they’ll be delivering. We’ve found that suppliers are happy to commit resources that represent anything between 3-16% percent of the total contract value.  In a lump […]

The (abridged) story so far… The good news is that after multiple delays the Environment Bill was granted Royal Assent and passed into law in November 2021. As it’s no longer a bill, it is now called the Environment Act (2021). The Act was created in response to Brexit, to fill the legislative void around […]

We caught up with Mohammed Mansour, who is the Head of VCS Development at Hackney CVS, to talk about the work that the Social Value Exchange is doing in the borough. Can you tell us your role is at Hackney CVS?  My role mainly focuses on building the capacity of voluntary and community sector organisations […]

…for missing January’s newsletter. No excuses – it’s been such a busy time at work and at home that we had to let this slide. Hopefully some of you out there will empathise with us here at the Social Value Exchange! The boss has had two kids at home, which has hampered his productivity, and […]

This issue remains unresolved by our Social Value ‘stewards’ and is fundamental to the success of Social Value as public policy. Here are our chief exec’s thoughts. Viability assessments… a cautionary tale Social Value in public procurement offers an opportunity to make lasting, tangible and significant improvements to our civic life. Given our current circumstances, […]

Do you know any teachers that are losing sleep over how their students can work online at home? If so, please share this blog from our founder with them. Yesterday I received a letter from the headteacher of our daughter’s primary school. In it, he set out how the school would allocate digital devices to […]

More Sunday musings… on Brexit. A few weeks ago I watched a short video of Dr Adam Posen talking about Brexit. If you haven’t seen it and want to, here’s the link. Posen is an American economist, President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and spent 3 years on the Monetary Policy Committe of […]

Sovereign are working with the Social Value Exchange to leverage up to £50m of procurement spend to maximise Social Value, with local community projects at the heart of the process. This is our project page, with the latest news, resources and ways to stay in touch. Get up to date with the latest news For […]

Here are a few bits & pieces to help you understand what the Social Value Exchange is, does and has achieved to date… The Social Value Exchange is a matching market that borrows ‘sharing economy’ principles from platforms like AirBnB… with the outcome that we get extra resources to local community organisations. How do we […]

We had a chat with Chichi Onyenemelu at one of our workshops. She told us about the opportunities Social Value presents and how it’s being practically applied at Hyde Housing Association, where she is Social Value Adviser.

In his book ‘The Brand Innovation Manifesto’, John Grant talks about, ‘busting the trade-off in your market’… ‘It is almost a law of market development that breakthrough ideas come from overcoming a former trade-off: luxury made affordable and accessible; home convenience meals that taste like a restaurant; fast cars with good fuel economy.’ Grant goes […]

Government needs to use the Social Value Act to support its partner better: but what is Social Value and why is it so important to public service delivery? We all want to see local communities come together to solve local issues. During good times and bad, local people are at their best when they are […]

Cuts to vital local community services have put the police service under increasing pressure as it attempts to plug the gaps. Social Value Exchange founder Dan Ebanks says the Social Value Act may provide the answer to getting more resources into local organisations that, in turn, would alleviate some of those pressures. There is an ever-widening […]

This blog was written in partnership with Impact Reporting. The Social Value Act (2012) is about empowering contracting authorities in public procurement, to compel suppliers to deliver local social, environmental and economic benefits in addition to what it is they have been asked to supply in the core specification of the tender. The Social Value Act is currently […]

Our founder, Dan Ebanks, talks about his experiences of racism and how we can go further together. Coming of age in the 90s, I would worry that talking about race to white people would sound like excuses for the things that perhaps had not gone the way I had wanted. As a teenager I remember […]

Today we look back at one of our earliest blogs, from 2015. We’re proud to say that when it comes to first principles, we haven’t changed… For us, the long game is resourcing people in their communities to shape the spaces they live in. Here are three things that have fuelled us in our time […]

Covid 19 has changed the conversation around the VCSE sectors… there’s a recognition that if you want to mobilise locally and fast, get your VCSE organisations in the room from the start. And, increasingly, the funding is being made available. jgkjgugi Good luck!

Here are a few bits to help you flesh out your understanding of Social Value Brokerage – a video, a short reading list (including top tips and FAQs) and how to keep up to date with new developments. Hope it’s helpful! Video: Social Value Brokerage – An Introduction, by Social Value UK, Social Value Exchange […]

Our long term former advisor / coder / entrepreneur / Nene is on hand to tell us how to get through conference season in one piece. Get decent headphones. My weapon of choice is Etymotic Musicians Earplugs. Built for my very own ear-holes, they provide three levels of sound reduction. They ain’t cheap. Remember this […]

Here’s what’s coming online soon… Matching up suppliers and communities – nice to be back in product dev mode! Have received funding from the Ideas & Pioneers fund to support our product work around reducing corporate carbon emissions. Almost there 🙂 Really excited to be part of something that’s going to move the needle. Props […]

Paul is Managing Partner and CEO at Bethnal Green Ventures, a VC firm that invests in early-stage tech for good businesses.

Simon is a director at AND Digital. AND Digital was established in 2014 and is one of Europe’s fastest growing tech companies, employing over 600 people and generating an annual turnover of £42m. In this year’s The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For, AND was ranked at number 10, demonstrating its people first focus […]

Jack is the Leader of Lambeth Council. You hold a leadership role in your organisation. What’s your motivation? I grew up in public service. I believe in it. I believe in making the world better. So, it’s a great opportunity to do that. To improve the lives of my residents, my neighbours, businesses and shops […]

The Social Value Exchange and partners Supply Change have created the ‘Social Enterprise and Community Organisation Directory’ to keep everyone connected in these challenging times. Covid-19 touches almost every facet of our lives and has presented us with a wide range of challenges to grapple with and everyone has been affected in different ways. Social enterprises and community-based organisations are no […]

Shazia is the Assistant Chief Executive at the London Borough of Brent. You hold a leadership role in your organisation. What’s the motivation? Primarily for me it’s about creating a society that is fairer. Councils are there, especially in this day and age, to support the most vulnerable and my motivation is that – making […]

This blog was co-authored by Dan Ebanks (founder of the Social Value Exchange), Beth Pilgrim (co-founder of Supply Change) and Ben Carpenter (Chief Exec at Social Value UK). Local government has performed heroics in the response to the Covid 19 pandemic. We’ve spoken to lots of local government folk who have described to us the […]

Jake is the Chief Executive of Hackney CVS, trustee of NCVO, adviser to Sadiq Khan on serious youth violence and chair of the London CVS Directors Network. Given you hold a senior role in your organisation, can you explain the motivation for what you do?  Originally my career was as a medical student, so I’ve […]

Using Social Value Brokerage to #BuildBackBetter Local government has performed heroics in the response to the Covid 19 pandemic. We’ve spoken to lots of local government folk who have described to us the enormous amount of work they have done. Long hours and long weeks, particularly in the early phase of the pandemic. Food supply […]

What is Social Value Brokerage?  Social Value Brokerage is an umbrella term used to describe the connecting of key stakeholders to ensure local communities benefit from public procurement in their area and to create local economic growth. Stakeholders typically include: public sector organisations, such as councils; government suppliers, tendering for public sector contracts; and local […]

Keeping everyone connected to serve our communities