The Social Value Unit assists Northern Irelands Government Departments, their agencies and arm’s length bodies to maximise the delivery of social value through public contracts.
In July 2021 the Northern Ireland Executive published Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 01/21 Scoring Social Value. PPN 01/21 mandates that from 1 June 2022 tenders must allocate a minimum of 10% of the total award criteria to social value. This minimum weighting will apply to procurements at or above the thresholds set out in the Public Contracts Regulations. The Social Value Unit are responsible for developing guidance and training for the implementation of PPN 01/21.
PPN 01/21 sets out that Departments should score for social value using an outcomes-based framework which has four broad themes:
The PPN also includes mandatory fair work requirements and the requirement to consider reserving contracts. The Social Value Unit are also working on developing guidance on sustainable procurement more broadly beyond award criteria
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In July 2021 the Northern Ireland Executive published Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 01/21 Scoring Social Value. PPN 01/21 mandates that from 1 June 2022 tenders must allocate a minimum of 10% of the total award criteria to social value. This minimum weighting will apply to procurements at or above the thresholds set out in the Public Contracts Regulations. The PPN also includes mandatory fair work requirements and the requirement to consider reserving contracts. The Social Value Unit have also developed a Sustainability Strategy for the Strategic Investment Board.
The Social Value Unit have developed a bespoke approach for IT contracts, with a particular focus on addressing digital exclusion. The is has included award criteria focused on how suppliers will deliver the following:
Progress to date:
The Social Value Unit engaged extensively with industry in the development of guidance documents and have developed training and resources for suppliers available here. Training for suppliers takes place quarterly.
The Social Value Unit developed a bespoke monitoring system to capture the outcomes achieved by each contract. This monitoring system is capturing the social value delivered on all public sector contracts in Northern Ireland.
For further information on the activities of Social Value Unit visit their website:
or email procurement@iclei.org