Social value in care tenders
Social value is the wider benefit a contract brings beyond the care itself, such as local jobs, training, apprenticeships and community support. In care tenders it is usually a scored section worth 10 to 30 percent of the marks. You win it by making specific, measurable commitments tied to the contract area, for example employing local carers or running free wellbeing sessions, rather than listing vague good intentions.
Why buyers score social value
Buyers score social value because the law requires it and because care budgets are public money meant to benefit the local population twice over. The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 requires public bodies to consider economic, social and environmental benefit when commissioning services, and the Procurement Act 2023 keeps social value firmly in scope through the national procurement policy statement. Most councils now apply a fixed weighting using the Government's Social Value Model themes. For care contracts this is a real chunk of the score, so a weak answer here can cost you the bid even when your care quality is strong.
How much weighting social value carries
A minimum weighting of around 10 percent is common across the public sector, and in care it often runs higher, between 10 and 30 percent, because the workforce and community impact of care is so direct. The exact figure sits in the evaluation criteria, usually beside the quality and price split. Treat the weighting as a signal: a 20 percent social value section deserves as much care as a major method statement, not a few rushed lines at the end of the response.
What a strong answer looks like
Tie every commitment to the local area and to numbers you can deliver. Promise a set number of local recruits, apprenticeships or work placements, name the partners you will use, and say how you will measure and report it. Set out a delivery timeline and the named person responsible. Avoid generic claims like supporting the community, because buyers mark down answers that could apply to any contract anywhere. The test a good evaluator applies is simple: is it specific, local, measurable and clearly deliverable by this provider.
How National TOMs measurement works
Many councils measure social value using the National TOMs framework, which stands for Themes, Outcomes and Measures. It puts a proxy financial value on each commitment, so a local apprenticeship or a volunteering hour converts into a pound figure the buyer can compare across bids. You do not have to love the methodology, but you should answer in its language where the tender uses it. Map each promise to a TOMs measure, state the quantity, and you make the evaluator's job easy, which usually shows in the score.
Why commitments must be contractual and deliverable
Under the Procurement Act 2023 social value must be relevant to the contract and capable of being delivered and monitored, not a wish list. Whatever you promise can become a contractual key performance indicator that the buyer tracks during delivery, with consequences for missing it. Over promise and you risk both losing marks for credibility and creating a problem you cannot meet later. Commit to what you can genuinely deliver across the contract area and the term, and keep evidence of delivery from day one.
How small providers can win the marks
Small providers often score well on social value because they genuinely recruit, train and spend locally, which is exactly what the model rewards. You do not need a corporate sustainability department. You need credible, proportionate commitments: local hiring from the contract area, real apprenticeships, the real Living Wage where affordable, links with a local college or jobcentre, and community activity such as free wellbeing sessions. State the numbers honestly and explain how you will report them, and a lean local provider can beat a larger one that wrote a generic answer.
Weak versus strong social value commitments
The same theme scores very differently depending on how specific and measurable the commitment is.
| Social value theme | Weak answer | Strong answer |
|---|---|---|
| Local employment | We support local jobs | We will recruit at least 6 carers from within the contract area in year one, advertised through the local jobcentre |
| Skills and training | We invest in our staff | We will fund 3 apprenticeships and put every new carer through the Care Certificate within 12 weeks |
| Fair pay | We pay fairly | We pay the real Living Wage to all frontline staff on this contract and will hold that for the term |
| Community wellbeing | We help the community | We will run 4 free dementia wellbeing sessions a year in the contract area, open to non clients |
| Environment | We are environmentally responsible | We will move the contract fleet to electric or hybrid by year two and report mileage quarterly |
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Common questions
How much is social value worth in a care tender?
Usually 10 to 30 percent of the total score, with around 10 percent a common minimum. The exact weighting is set out in the tender documents, in the scoring or evaluation criteria.
What counts as social value for a care provider?
Local employment, apprenticeships and training, paying the real Living Wage, supporting carers' wellbeing, reducing your environmental footprint, and community activity such as free events or volunteering in the contract area.
What is the National TOMs framework?
National TOMs stands for Themes, Outcomes and Measures. It puts a proxy financial value on each social value commitment so buyers can compare bids. Where a tender uses it, answer in its measures and quantities.
Do social value promises become part of the contract?
Often yes. Under the Procurement Act 2023 commitments must be deliverable and can become contractual key performance indicators the buyer monitors. Only promise what you can genuinely deliver and evidence.
Can a small provider score well on social value?
Yes. Small providers often score well because they genuinely recruit and spend locally. The key is specific, measurable actions you can prove, not large numbers you cannot deliver.
What is the most common social value mistake?
Generic, unmeasured statements that could apply to any contract anywhere. Evaluators mark these down. Always tie each commitment to the contract area, attach a number, and say how you will report it.
Keep reading
Browse all care tender guides, or see care tender writing by service.
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