Social Value in Tenders: PPN 002 Steps and Answer Examples

By Aoba Works · Published October 20, 2026 · 16 min read

How this guide was made: drafted with AI assistance from the official sources linked below, then passed an automated editorial check before publishing. Our process

• Procurement Act 2023
• Sme
• Vcse

Social value in tenders means the extra economic, social and environmental benefits you commit to deliver through a public contract, on top of the work itself. Buyers score these commitments as part of the evaluation. In UK central government, PPN 002 requires a social value weighting of at least 10% of the total score. The buyer usually picks one outcome from its Social Value Model, and suppliers answer it with specific, measurable, time-bound commitments. To score well as an SME, answer the exact outcome and award criteria in the tender, put a number and a date on every promise, and offer only what you can deliver and report on.

Which option is right for you?

Start with whichever framework your tender documents name. That tells you the vocabulary and metrics the evaluator will use.

Why: central government buyers have to use PPN 002. Local buyers are free to use their own system. Social Value Portal tenders need numbers entered into a calculator. Small firms usually score better with one well-evidenced pledge than with five vague ones.

What Is Social Value in a Tender?

Social value in a tender is the wider benefit a bidder commits to deliver alongside the core contract. In central government it is assessed using the PPN 002 Social Value Model. PPN 002 was published in February 2025 and replaced PPN 06/20. Central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies must apply it to procurements started under the Procurement Act 2023 on or after 1 October 2025.

Four rules in PPN 002 matter most to suppliers (as of October 2026):

• Over and above the core deliverables. Any benefit counted as social value has to be extra to what the contract already requires (PPN 002). If the specification already asks for recycling, offering recycling is not social value.
• Commitments become contractual. All social value commitments made during the procurement "must be reflected in the contract either as contract terms, key performance indicators, or performance indicators" (PPN 002).
• Scope. It applies to above-threshold covered procurements. Below-threshold contracts, private utilities and some Ministry of Defence defence and security contracts are outside it. Local authorities don't have to follow it, but they can choose to (PPN 002).
• Jobs are advertised on Find a Job. Job opportunities created through the contract are to be advertised on the government's Find a Job service (PPN 002).

Buyers outside central government still have a reason to ask about social value. Section 13 of the Procurement Act 2023 makes all contracting authorities have regard to the National Procurement Policy Statement (13 February 2025). That statement tells them to deliver social and economic value that supports the government's missions and to give SMEs and VCSEs "a fair chance". The older Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 also still applies to public bodies in England and Wales (Plinth summary).

For example, say a cleaning company bids for a government office contract that already requires eco-labelled products. Using eco-labelled products earns nothing. Taking on two prison leavers in the first six months of the contract, with a named training plan, is additional, and it maps to a published metric (6civ).

A common pitfall is pasting your company CSR policy into the answer. Evaluators score what happens on this contract, and published guidance warns specifically against generic corporate material (BidHelp).

What Are the Five Missions and Eight Outcomes in PPN 002?

PPN 002 organises social value around the government's five missions, which contain eight outcomes between them. Each outcome comes with Model Award Criteria (MACs), sub-criteria and standard reporting metrics (PPN 002 Social Value Model).

Much online advice still lists five themes: COVID-19 recovery, tackling economic inequality, fighting climate change, equal opportunity and wellbeing. Those come from the old PPN 06/20. The Government Commercial Agency confirms they now map onto the missions. You may still see them in frameworks launched before October 2025, because call-offs from those frameworks follow the original framework's social value approach (GCA).

Sources: PPN 002 Social Value Model; outcome names as listed by Tussell (as of October 2026).

The government's own guidance tells buyers that, "except in government's most important contracts", they should select one outcome so suppliers have a focused question (PPN 002 guide). In practice, most central government ITTs will ask you about one outcome, plus one or more of its MACs. Read the question to find out which one before you write anything.

How to Answer Social Value Tender Questions (Step-by-Step)

Map your answer to the outcome, award criteria and weighting named in the ITT. Use the context of the delivery area and sector, and turn every commitment into a SMART measure that matches the published metric. Follow these steps.

1. Find the question and its weighting. In the ITT pack, open the evaluation criteria (often called "Award criteria" or "Evaluation methodology"). Note the social value percentage, the scoring bands, and the word or character limit. PPN 002 leaves the limit to the buyer (guide).
2. Identify the outcome and MAC. The model question reads: "set out, in a method statement and project plan, the specific, measurable and time bound commitment(s) your organisation will make to deliver the [insert policy outcome] and the following Award Criteria" (model). Copy the outcome name and MAC wording (for example "3a") to the top of your draft.
3. Give the workforce baseline if asked. For Outcomes 1, 6 and 7, the question also asks for "the total number of people who will work on the contract (measured in roles, not Full Time Equivalents)" (model). If you leave it out, the evaluator has nothing to measure your commitment against.
4. Write one commitment per metric. Use the metric's unit: £ for 3aii, people-hours for 2aii, tonnes CO2e for 4ai. Add a date.
5. Name the cohort or how you'll find it. The model expects a "specific nominated cohort" or a process for identifying one, and a tailored offer to reach it.
6. Show how you'll influence others. Cover staff, suppliers, customers and communities, as the required response elements list.
7. Say how you'll be transparent. State what you'll report and publish, and how often. Central government departments report social value to the Cabinet Office quarterly (guide), so a quarterly reporting promise lines up with what the buyer has to do anyway.
8. Add a timed project plan. Include action steps, metrics, monitoring tools, governance (a named role) and feedback procedures. A short table inside the answer works well, if the portal accepts tables.
9. Check additionality. For each commitment, ask the question BidHelp suggests: "if the contract never existed, would your Social Value activity still happen?" (BidHelp). If the answer is yes, either reframe it so it's tied to this contract or cut it.
10. If the buyer uses Social Value Portal, enter the numbers there too. Follow the steps in the next box.

If the ITT links to Social Value Portal, the bidder guidance sets out this sequence:

1. Register using the unique link in your ITT. Approval can take up to one working day.
2. Log in at app.socialvalueportal.com and click CLICK HERE TO START, then select your project.
3. On the Social Value Record page, enter the contract value and press Save.
4. Click ENTER SOCIAL VALUE CALCULATOR, then click a measure box or the + icon to enter a target and a description. Use Add/View Attachments for evidence.
5. Return to the Social Value Record page and click Confirm Submission before the deadline. The status should change to "Submitted".

Registering is free for bidders. Winning bidders may pay a contract management fee if the tender documents say so (Social Value Portal; as of October 2026, check the ITT). This route isn't a good fit if you can't produce figures, because targets without "a clear description or supporting evidence may be discounted" (bidder guidance).

Selection comes before award, so make sure your selection-stage answers are ready too. Our guide to the Selection Questionnaire under the Procurement Act 2023 covers that stage.

Social Value Tender Questions Examples

Typical social value questions ask how you'll create jobs or training, open up your supply chain to small firms, reduce carbon, or support wellbeing in the contract's delivery area. Under PPN 002 they nearly always follow the model question format with one outcome filled in.

The examples below show how the model question gets filled in for different contracts. They're illustrations built from the PPN 002 wording, not quotes from real ITTs:

MAC wording quoted from the PPN 002 Social Value Model. Word counts are examples.

To see real questions before you bid, use Find a Tender:

1. Click Search, then Opportunities to see active tenders, or Contracts to see awarded ones.
2. Search for your service keyword and open a notice from a central government buyer.
3. Download the procurement documents and look for the social value question and the evaluation weightings.

Council questions often don't follow the PPN 002 format. They may ask for TOMs measures with a £ proxy value, or list local priorities, such as "jobs for residents of the borough", that sit outside the model.

Social Value Tender Answer Examples

A strong answer makes a measurable commitment tied to a named metric, says who benefits and when, and shows evidence that you can deliver it. The three examples below are fictional and only show structure. Don't copy the numbers. Size your own commitments to your contract.

Example A: small IT firm, Outcome 2, MAC 2a (illustration)

Commitment: Over the 24-month contract we will deliver 120 people-hours of learning interventions (metric 2aii) and support one Level 3 apprenticeship in IT support starting by month 4. Contract workforce: 6 roles. Cohort: Students at [named local college] on Level 3 digital courses, identified through the college's careers team, who face the skills gap in cyber hygiene our client's service relies on. Delivery: Quarter 1, agree a session plan with the college; Quarters 2–8, run 2-hour workshops each month (15 hours a quarter). Our Service Manager owns delivery. Monitoring: Attendance registers and feedback forms; quarterly report to the contract manager against 2aii. Evidence: Since [year] we have hosted [number] work-experience students (references available).

Example B: VCSE caterer, Outcome 6, MAC 6a (illustration)

We will create 2 paid kitchen roles for people who face barriers to employment (metric 6ai), recruited from care leavers through [named local authority leaving-care team] within 6 months of contract start, advertised on Find a Job. Each new starter gets a named mentor, a Level 2 food hygiene qualification in month 1, and a 12-week review. We will report retention at 6 and 12 months.

Example C: building contractor, Outcome 3, MAC 3a (illustration)

£40,000 of the £400,000 contract value (10%) will go to SMEs and VCSEs (metrics 3aii/3aiii). We will advertise sub-contract packages openly 4 weeks before appointment, hold one "meet the buyer" session in month 1, and pay sub-contractors within 30 days.

Why these work: each one uses the metric's unit, names the cohort or channel, gives dates, and names an owner. That is what the model's required elements ask for.

Common pitfalls with answer examples, and the fixes:

• Copying a big firm's numbers. Fix: work out what is realistic for your number of roles and the contract value.
• Missing evidence. Fix: keep a log of past training hours, local spend and volunteering with dates, so you can cite it.
• Mixing in other outcomes. Fix: stay on the outcome the buyer chose. Extra themes rarely score and use up words.

What Are Social Value TOMs (Themes, Outcomes, Measures)?

TOMs (Themes, Outcomes, Measures) is a measurement framework that puts a value on social value commitments using standard measures with £ proxy values. Social Value Portal developed it "in collaboration with 40 organisations" (Social Value Portal). It is a separate system from PPN 002, which uses its own outcomes and metrics and doesn't mention proxy values (PPN 002 guide).

People who search for "social value buds" usually seem to mean TOMs or one of its measures. No official UK framework is called "buds". If an ITT uses a term you don't recognise, ask through the clarification process.

There are limitations. A TOMs £ total depends on the proxy values, so it looks precise even though it's an estimate. TOMs also suits firms that already track data, and it can be hard work for a sole trader. If you have few employees, aim for a handful of measures you can evidence rather than chasing a big £ figure.

How Social Value Is Scored and Weighted in Tenders

In central government, social value must carry at least 10% of the total score. Where an absolute methodology is used, it's 10% of the quality (non-price) score (PPN 002). Other buyers set their own weightings.

PPN 002 doesn't set a national scoring scale. Evaluators "award marks against the objective, non-discriminatory scoring criteria set out for each scoring band, on a tender by tender basis" (guide). So always check the bands in your ITT.

Here's a worked example to help you decide how much effort to put in. The figures are illustrative. Say social value is weighted at 10% and the bands run 0/25/50/75/100. Moving an answer from "50" to "75" adds 2.5 points to your overall score. If a 15% technical question sits next to it, the same jump there is worth 3.75 points. Contracts are often decided by a few points, so a modest social value answer that is fully evidenced can be worth more than polishing other sections.

Weighting pitfalls:

• Assuming 10% is the norm everywhere. Fix: read the evaluation section, because councils may weight it two or three times higher.
• Using the word limit on background. Fix: put the commitments and plan first and context second.

Common Pitfalls SMEs Make When Answering Social Value Questions

The most common mistakes are pledges without numbers, ignoring the metric the buyer named, and promising things you can't deliver or evidence. Because commitments become contract terms or KPIs (PPN 002), overpromising can turn a contract win into a compliance problem.

For example, if you're a sole trader, a realistic Outcome 3 answer might commit a set share of materials spend to local micro-suppliers, with receipts kept for quarterly reports. It's small, but it can be proven.

Next steps

You can draft a usable social value answer today without paying for help.

DIY actions for today

1. Open the PPN 002 Social Value Model. Pick the one or two outcomes that fit your work and copy their metric codes.
2. Start an evidence log as a spreadsheet with columns for date, activity, metric code, quantity and proof. Fill in the past 12 months.
3. On Find a Tender, open one awarded contract in your sector and read its social value question and weighting.

If you'd rather not do it yourself

• Social Value Portal free account: free for bidders responding to a tender, with free access to key TOM measures. A contract management fee may apply after award if the ITT says so (Social Value Portal; as of October 2026, check the official page). It suits firms bidding to councils that use SV Calc. It's less useful for PPN 002 answers, which are written statements.
• A freelance bid writer: no official rate exists, so ask for a fixed quote per question. It suits firms with a live, high-value tender and little time. It suits you less if you can't give them evidence, because a writer can't create your delivery record.

Related guides on this site

• Selection Questionnaire Procurement Act 2023: 7 SME Steps

FAQ

What is social value in a tender?

It's the extra economic, social or environmental benefit you commit to deliver through a contract, beyond the core work. In central government it's assessed with the PPN 002 Social Value Model and weighted at a minimum of 10% of the total score. Your commitments then become contract terms or KPIs.

What are social value tender questions examples?

Under PPN 002, a typical question asks for a method statement and project plan with specific, measurable, time-bound commitments for one outcome. Examples include Skills for growth (MAC 2a) or creating a diverse supply chain with SMEs and VCSEs (MAC 3a). Council questions may ask instead for TOMs targets entered in a calculator.

What are good social value tender answer examples?

Good answers give a number, a unit that matches the metric, a named cohort, dates and an owner. For example: "120 people-hours of learning by month 24 (2aii)". They also cite past delivery as evidence and say how progress will be reported each quarter.

What are social value buds?

No official UK social value framework is called "buds". The search usually seems to refer to TOMs (Themes, Outcomes, Measures), the Social Value Portal framework many councils use. If a tender uses an unfamiliar term, ask through the buyer's clarification process.

What are the social value questions in tenders typically about?

They usually cover jobs and training for people facing barriers, skills, spend with SMEs and VCSEs, carbon and environmental impact, and workforce wellbeing. In central government these match PPN 002's eight outcomes under five missions.

Sources

• PPN 002: Taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts (GOV.UK)
• Procurement Policy Note 002: The Social Value Model (GOV.UK)
• PPN 002 Guide to using the Social Value Model (GOV.UK)
• What does the new social value model mean for public sector procurement? (GCA)
• National Procurement Policy Statement, 13 February 2025
• Find a Tender
• Social Value Portal: TOM System
• Social Value Portal: Guidance for Bidders & Suppliers
• Social Value Portal: Log in
• Manchester City Council: Social Value report
• Manchester City Council: Social value toolkit
• Tussell: PPN 002, the Central Gov't Social Value Model, explained
• Plinth: What is Social Value?
• BidHelp: The new Social Value Model question and how SMEs can respond

Spotted something out of date or wrong? Tell us at shigoto.ai.note@gmail.com. Guides are re-checked against official sources on a rolling schedule.