Ealing Council is pleased to announce the launch of its new social value policy. Designed to bring benefits to the community through its suppliers, the initiative was agreed at a recent cabinet meeting.
The council now requires bidders for all contracts with a value of £100,000 or above to offer community benefits as part of their tender. This is in line with the requirements of the Social Value Act of 2012.
The benefits offered must be in addition to the contract services being supplied, must not be included in the tender costs and must be delivered over the term of the contract.
The social value bid can include benefits ranging from the donation of IT equipment or commercial guidance to community organisations and SMEs, work placements including apprenticeships and environmental improvements.
Benefits are offered by selecting from a pick-list geared to the current needs of the Ealing community, balanced against the nature and value of the contract being tendered. The pick-list ranks the ‘wishes’ on a priority basis, a weighting that is applied to the social value bid or offer.
The social value element of any tender is worth five to 10 percent of the tender score. The highest commitment secures the full percentage marks and all other bids are assessed on a pro-rata basis.
Full details are provided in guidance notes issued with the tender pack for all contracts where it applies. Further information and support can be obtained by bidders via the clarifications process on the tendering portal, in the normal manner.