How Businesses Use Social Value to Win Contracts!
Social value is now becoming a real factor in how contracts are awarded, especially in the public sector.
More and more organisations are expected to show how they’ll make a positive impact beyond the core work they’re delivering.
That could mean supporting local communities, improving staff wellbeing, reducing inequality, or helping people access new opportunities.
But understanding social value is one thing, knowing how to deliver it is another.
At Loving Life, we work with companies that want their social value commitments to be more than just words on a page.
Through our workshops on wellbeing, teamwork, and personal development, we help turn those promises into action, and that often makes all the difference in winning a contract.
In this blog, we’ll explore what social value really means, why it matters in tenders and procurement, and how businesses are using partners like us to deliver meaningful, measurable results.
Contents
Why Social Value Matters in Tenders and Procurement
How Businesses Use Loving Life in Their Social Value Commitments
Examples of Social Value Initiatives That Work
Creating and Embedding a Social Value Strategy
Putting Your Social Value into Practice
Ready to Strengthen Your Social Value Delivery?
What is Social Value?
Social value is the broader positive impact an organisation has on the world, outside of financial or economic gain.
It refers to the wider benefits a business can bring to society through its initiatives and everyday decisions.
This could include things like: improving wellbeing for their staff or clients, supporting local communities, reducing environmental harm, or creating opportunities for people who need them most.
For a lot of companies, especially those bidding for public sector contracts, showing how they add social value to the work they’re bidding for is essential.
And delivering social value isn’t about ticking a box, it’s about showcasing how and delivering on creating meaningful change and positive impact.
Why Social Value Matters in Tenders and Procurement
These days, social value in contracts is being scrutinized more than ever and for good reason.
It’s no longer a tick box, but a formal requirement within public procurement.
Here are the reasons social value in tenders and procurement matters more than ever:
Increased Legislation and Stronger Evaluations
The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 required public-sector buyers to consider social, economic, and environmental benefits when awarding contracts.
More recently, the Procurement Act 2023 and the National Procurement Policy Statement have elevated social value to be a core component of contract scoring.
Not just at the initial bid stage, but throughout the duration of a contract.
Evolving Evaluation Criteria
Procurement decision-making is shifting from “Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT)” to “Most Advantageous Tender (MAT),” which factors in environmental and social impact alongside cost.
Public bodies must now publish social value KPIs, measuring their delivery, holding suppliers accountable, and ensuring commitments aren’t just talked about, but are actually delivered.
Greater Public and Political Scrutiny
Post-pandemic scandals like the PPE contracts and issues with PFI deals have spurred intense scrutiny around procurement.
Regulators and watchdogs are now demanding transparency, integrity, and genuine social outcomes, not just favourable prices.
The public wants to see government contracts awarded to deserving companies doing good in the world who are able to deliver on their promises, not the politicians friends.
Driving Community and Economic Value
Officials increasingly expect public spending to support local economies: by promoting small businesses, creating jobs, reducing inequality, and improving wellbeing.
Encouraging SMEs and social enterprises in procurement helps to amplify social impact and stimulates innovation.
As a small business, we’ve helped our partners win contracts by delivering on their commitments to support employee and community wellbeing.
Overall, this all means that putting social value commitments as a major factor of an organisations bid strategy is essential.
Organisations that write bids providing clear, deliverable social value initiatives (e.g, wellbeing workshops) give themselves a major advantage.
How Businesses Use Loving Life in Their Social Value Commitments
At Loving Life, we help organisations strengthen their contract bids by being a key delivery partner in achieving positive social value.
When companies need to highlight how they’ll positively contribute to community, staff, or societal wellbeing, they’ll use Loving Life to highlight the positive impact we can deliver on their behalf.
Our range of tailored workshops plays a direct role in helping businesses meet their social value commitments.
For example, we’ve delivered a range of wellbeing workshops to help organisations improve employee wellbeing, engagement, and retention.
We’ve also helped our partners by delivering team-building and leadership workshops.
An example of this is a tailored collaboration workshop we facilitated to help our partners strengthen their relationship with their clients.
When teams from two different organisations work together, there can often be barriers that prevent a smooth and successful working environment.
We helped bridge that gap by delivering a tailored workshop that supported the working relationship between these two organisations as well as empowering them with their wellbeing.
We’ve also helped companies deliver social value by delivering confidence and empowerment workshops to align with commitments of upskilling and conclusion.
Whether it’s through employee development, wellbeing initiatives, or community impact, our workshops offer measurable and impactful results that fulfil social value commitments.
Examples of Social Value Initiatives That Work
When it comes to delivering social value, the most effective initiatives are the ones that create lasting impact for employees, communities, and society as a whole.
While the specifics will vary from contract to contract, here are some examples of social value initiatives that consistently work and some that we at Loving Life regularly support or deliver:
Wellbeing and Workshops for Employees
Providing workshops that help individuals cope with stress, improve health, and increase productivity helps organisations demonstrate their commitment to their people.
Our sessions are tailored to the needs of workplaces and are often included in bids to support employee health, retention, and engagement over the lifetime of a contract.
Upskilling and Training
Delivering social value often means helping people grow.
Whether it’s employees, young people, or those from underrepresented backgrounds, offering practical training is a clear win for social value goals.
From creating life-changing habits, communication training, or leadership sessions, our workshops are used to upskill employees or support outreach to the wider community.
Youth and Community Engagement
Companies that actively contribute to the development of their local communities stand out in tender applications.
This could include things like mentoring schemes, educational sessions, or supporting young people into employment.
We’ve delivered workshops within universities to help support young people in their development.
Whether it’s mindset sessions or teaching entrepreneurial skills, there’s a range of workshops we can deliver to have a meaningful impact within the community.
Enhancing Inclusive Workplaces
Another common focus on implementing positive social value is creating a workplace culture that supports diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
Initiatives that improve communication, reduce bias, or support employee voice can be powerful.
Our sessions around embracing empathy, communication, and enhancing team collaboration help build inclusive, respectful, and high-performing cultures.
These are just a few examples but they all go beyond promises and policies.
They create real change.
When companies partner with Loving Life, they have a delivery partner who knows how to fulfil their contractual commitments while creating meaningful impact
Creating and Embedding a Social Value Strategy
Delivering social value isn’t about one-off gestures, it’s about weaving meaningful actions into the how a business operates.
That’s where strategy comes in.
A strong social value strategy ensures that commitments aren’t just made to win contracts, but are backed up by a clear plan, real delivery partners, and measurable outcomes.
The most effective strategies start with asking: What matters to the communities and contracts we serve?
What positive impact can we realistically create?
For some organisations, that might be supporting local employment or improving staff wellbeing.
For others, it might involve mentoring young people or helping underrepresented groups access opportunities.
The key is to align your social value approach with both the needs of the contract and the values of your company.
At Loving Life, we often support companies in shaping this strategy, especially when it comes to workplace wellbeing, development, and engagement.
By partnering with us early, companies can map out where our workshops or training can contribute meaningfully over the lifetime of a contract, whether it’s a six-month programme or a long-term initiative.
Embedding social value means making it part of your business culture, not just your bid documents.
And when it’s done right, it doesn’t just help win contracts.
It helps build a better company.
How to Measure Social Value
Making a social value commitment is one thing, but being able to measure and prove that you’ve delivered it is what sets serious organisations apart.
That’s why measurement has become a key part of social value strategies, especially when bidding for public contracts.
Commissioners want to see more than good intentions, they want results.
There are several recognised ways to measure social value, including frameworks like TOMs (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) or SROI (Social Return on Investment).
These help businesses assign metrics or financial value to outcomes such as staff wellbeing improvements, training hours delivered, or local people employed.
But measurement doesn’t always need to be complicated.
At Loving Life, we make it easy for companies to show impact.
For every workshop or programme we deliver, we can provide:
- Participation numbers
- Staff feedback and engagement scores
- Written testimonials and impact summaries
- Session outcomes aligned with social value priorities (e.g. wellbeing, inclusion, development)
This allows organisations to report back confidently to procurement teams, showing how their commitments are being fulfilled, not just on paper, but in practice.
Because ultimately, social value should be felt by people, not just measured in forms.
And when delivery is done well, the evidence speaks for itself.
Putting Your Social Value into Practice
Social value isn’t just about saying the right things in a tender, it’s about following through.
Businesses that truly stand out are the ones that deliver meaningful outcomes for their employees, communities, and the people their work touches every day.
At Loving Life, we bring social value to life in a way that’s practical, measurable, and genuinely impactful.
Whether you need to boost staff wellbeing, upskill teams, or support people facing barriers to work, we deliver engaging, measurable, and impactful workshops that align with your social value goals.
We’re not just a service provider, we’re a delivery partner you can trust to help you win contracts and deliver real and positive impact.
Ready to Strengthen Your Social Value Delivery?
Social value is no longer just a line in a contract, it’s a reflection of how your business positively impacts the world.
Whether it’s supporting staff wellbeing, upskilling teams, or making a real difference in the community, what you deliver matters.
At Loving Life, we’re proud to work alongside organisations that want their social value commitments to be more than words.
If you’re preparing a bid or looking for support to deliver meaningful social value, we’d love to chat.
Let’s explore how our workshops can help you meet your goals and create impact that lasts.
Author
Tyler Lowe
Workshop Facilitator and Wellbeing Speaker
