Social value in tenders: what buyers ask and how it's scored
Published 30 October 2026
Social value is the wider good a contract does, such as new jobs and skills, less waste or lower carbon. In new Find a Tender notices published between 1 September and 28 October 2026, 30% of those listing award criteria had a social value criterion. Where it had a percentage weighting, the median was 10%. Answers are assessed qualitatively.
Many UK public tenders give marks for social value: the wider good a contract does, such as new jobs and skills, less waste or lower carbon. For a small business it can feel like a question written for big companies. It isn't, as long as you answer what the buyer asked and promise only what you can deliver. This guide shows how often social value comes up, what it's usually worth and how it's scored.
We're not lawyers, and this page isn't legal advice.
What counts as social value?
Government guidance on assessing tenders says buyers can look beyond price, quality and technical criteria to "wider social, economic and environmental issues and benefits", for example creating new jobs and skills, reducing waste and addressing net zero or carbon reduction. Those factors must relate to the subject matter of the contract, be sufficiently clear and be a proportionate way of assessing tenders.
The Procurement Act 2023 sets the same test for all award criteria: they must relate to the subject matter of the contract, be sufficiently clear, measurable and specific, and be proportionate to the nature, complexity and cost of the contract (section 23). So a social value question for a cleaning contract should be about that cleaning contract, not about everything your business does.
How often do tenders ask about social value?
We read the award criteria in new Find a Tender notices published between 1 September and 28 October 2026. Of 3,060 procurements, 2,264 listed award criteria in the published data, and 678 of those (30%) had a criterion named social value.
| Sector | Notices listing award criteria | With a social value criterion | |---|---|---| | Construction trades | 292 | 97 (33%) | | Training and education | 78 | 23 (29%) | | Passenger transport | 23 | 8 (35%) | | Care | 165 | 74 (45%) | | Cleaning | 61 | 8 (13%) | | Catering | 59 | 11 (19%) |
Sectors are based on the main contract classification code each buyer chose. The transport, cleaning and catering samples are small, so treat those figures as a rough guide. We only counted criteria with "social value" in their name or description. Some buyers ask about it inside other quality questions, so the true share is likely to be higher.
How much is social value usually worth?
Of the 616 notices that gave their social value criterion a percentage weighting, the median was 10%, and 540 of them (88%) gave it 10% or more. The median was 10% in each of the six sectors above. For comparison, the median weighting for price or cost across all notices that stated one was 40%.
Some buyers give these weightings as a share of the quality marks rather than of the total score, and the data doesn't always say which. Check the tender documents.
What is the central government rule?
Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 002 sets out how central government buyers take social value into account. In short:
- Who it covers: central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Other buyers, such as councils, may choose to apply it.
- Which contracts: above-threshold procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 that started on or after 1 October 2025, where social value is relevant to the contract and proportionate. It doesn't cover below-threshold contracts.
- The weighting: a minimum of 10% of the total score for social value, or an equivalent measure. Where a buyer uses a scoring method such as price per quality point, it's 10% of the quality score instead.
- One outcome: buyers are encouraged to focus on one social value outcome, such as fair work, rather than a long list.
- Into the contract: social value commitments a supplier makes during the procurement must be reflected in the contract, as contract terms or performance indicators.
- Local jobs: where jobs are created to deliver the contract, they must be advertised on the government's Find a Job service.
How is social value scored?
Under the government's Social Value Model guide, answers are assessed qualitatively. Buyers score how well your method statement and implementation plan meet the criteria. They'll ask you to state how much you commit to deliver, and that goes into the contract, but the volumes themselves aren't scored. A long list of big numbers won't beat a short, specific plan.
How should a small business answer?
- Answer the outcome the buyer chose. If the tender asks about fair work, don't write about carbon.
- Tie it to this contract. Say who will benefit, where and when, as a result of this work.
- Be specific and measurable. For example, how many apprentice or trainee places, which local suppliers you'll use, or how you'll cut waste on site, with dates.
- Promise only what you can deliver. Your commitments may become contract terms that you have to report on.
- Show it's real. Briefly mention what you already do, such as a training scheme or a local hiring habit, with a recent example.
- Explain how you'll report. Say what you'll measure, how often and who's responsible.
Social value is usually a minority of the marks, so it rarely wins a tender on its own. But in a close contest, a clear, deliverable answer can make the difference. Our guide to why tender bids get rejected covers other ways bids lose marks.
Find tenders worth answering
Tender Desk, from Your Evenings Ltd (that's us), is a one-off £149 diagnostic for small businesses. It's done for you: we find up to 5 live tenders that suit a business your size and tell you what to fix before you bid. It arrives by email within 5 working days of your form, with no call. If no live tender fits, we say so and why. Find tenders worth answering
How did we count?
- Source: Find a Tender open data in the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) format, downloaded and counted by Your Evenings Ltd on 28 to 30 October 2026.
- Notices: new tender notices published 1 September to 28 October 2026, each procurement counted once.
- Social value: a notice counts if any of its award criteria has "social value" in its name or description. Weightings are the percentages buyers published for those criteria.
- What's missing: notices that don't publish award criteria in the data, social value asked about under other headings, and contracts advertised elsewhere.
Sources
- GOV.UK: PPN 002, taking account of social value in the award of contracts
- GOV.UK: PPN 002, guide to using the Social Value Model
- GOV.UK: Guidance on assessing competitive tenders
- Procurement Act 2023, section 23
- Find a Tender
- Our counts: Find a Tender tender notices, 1 September to 28 October 2026, counted by Your Evenings Ltd.
This page summarises the sources above. It isn't legal advice.
Written with AI assistance by Your Evenings Ltd. Last updated: 30 October 2026.