Why social value in our supply chain matters

Because much of our environmental, economic and social impact is delivered through the supply chain, we’ve strengthened how we work with and support suppliers to drive continuous improvement. This is reflected in our sustainable procurement framework, including a 10% sustainability weighting in tenders and sustainability clauses in our contracts.

Social value in action: Team Repair

Team Repair — winners of our Social Value category and the overall award — show what meaningful social value looks like. Their repair kits for young people (aged 10–14) build practical skills and confidence to fix devices.

What makes their approach stand out:

• Designed with the audience: their kits were built and user-tested with young people, and they are taking the same approach with their upcoming kits for grown-ups.
• Focused on a clear need: their programmes aim to tackle the skills and confidence gap around repairs.
• Measured impact: for example, in a programme delivered in Somerset, 40% of the young people involved were more likely to fix something in future and 35% reported increased interest in a job that would be “good for the planet”.

Obviously not every supplier’s purpose is running programmes like this, but the principles apply to any organisation: listen to your stakeholders, focus on real needs, and measure the impact.

If you have social value successes that could be a strong award entry for next year’s award, or you’d like support to strengthen the impact you’re making - please do reach out to your Procurement contact or myself.