Demonstrating social value in tendering

When the time comes to bid a tender for an important contract, you need to demonstrate more than your ability to meet a client’s business requirements. Social value is not only important for winning contracts, it’s required under the Public Services (Social Value) Act, and is something that experienced tender writers look to highlight in their bid.

But what exactly is social value and how do you demonstrate it when you bid a tender? In this article, we look to answer those questions and provide some useful hints and tips.

What is Social Value?

Simply put, social value means enhancing the local area and its communities by improving key areas such as social, environmental, economic, and general well-being. This means that contractors and other companies putting in a bid for tender must demonstrate that they are bringing more to the project than just the tools, skills, and workforce required to complete it. You need to be able to show that your involvement will benefit the community, not just you and your company.

Demonstrating Social Value

There are many ways to demonstrate your commitment to social value when you bid a tender. These are just some of the things potential buyers will be looking for from your tender writers:

Proper Research

Local authorities and other public sector organisations publish their own social, environmental, and charitable agendas, detailing where their particular focus lies. Some will include their long-term strategic plans as part of the tender, while others will publish it online. Either way, if want to make a successful bid, you need to familiarise yourself with their goals and reference them in the bid document.

Specific Targets and Commitments

Few things are more likely to put a buyer off than vague commitments. They want something they can feed back to their managers or shareholders, so be sure to provide facts, figures, and dates when discussing how you will add social value to a project.

Understanding Your Role

Every time you bid a tender, the buyer will be looking for something different. Social value is an umbrella term, so giving the same, generic answer will not help you win the bid. You need to read the tender questions carefully to understand which aspect of social value is of most importance to the buyer, before deciding whether you can meet the request.

Realism

While committing to social value is a good thing, you need to ensure you can meet those commitments. Failure to stick to the promises you make during the tender phase can lead to trouble with the buyer later down the line.

Get in Touch

Here at Your Tender Team, we provide a range of services for our clients, including full tender writing, reviewing and evaluation. Our team of tender writers can assist you with your bid, demonstrating social value throughout. For more details, give us a call on 0116 218 2700, or complete the online form.