Social Value and Sustainability
Following the publication of the Council’s Social Value and Sustainability Policy, there has been a clear strategic case for the need for social value to be embedded and become a core focus in our procurement.
The aim of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 is not to alter the commissioning and procurement processes, but to ensure that as part of these processes, the Council considers the wider impact of the services delivery. It allows the Council for example, to choose a supplier under a tendering process who provides the most advantageous offer e.g., providing consideration for quality and cost, but one which goes beyond the basic contract terms and secures wider benefits for the community.
The Council uses its existing governance arrangements, through both Procurement Panel and Procurement Board, to ensure scrutiny and control of procurement decisions so that the Council achieves social value outcomes, where appropriate.
The opportunities to secure improvements to social, environmental or economic wellbeing will vary from contract to contract. Consideration of Social Value and Sustainability is built into all the stages of the Council’s procurement & commissioning process - when reviewing service provision; conducting a needs analysis; consulting stakeholders and/or the marketplace; and specifying the goods, services and/or works to be procured - including building in sustainability and climate change action that aligns to the Council’s Climate Change Strategy.
Through the One Coventry approach to engage residents, businesses and organisations, this provides more genuine opportunities to local Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) and community groups to contract with the Council, delivering supplier diversity, whilst maintaining our focus on the priorities of the One Coventry Plan.
The Council will strengthen Social Value commitments against which tenderers bid back during the tender process, aligning the themes, outcomes and measures committed to by its supply chain and embed these commitments into contract and contractual terms.
The Council will continue to seek the delivery of Social Value outcomes in all contracts above the legislative thresholds, where it can be evidenced that it is relevant to the subject matter of the contract. For contracts that fall below the legislative thresholds, the approach is to maximise these outcomes where possible and practical to do so.
Modern slavery
The Council and suppliers must both comply with all applicable human rights and employment laws in the jurisdictions in which they work. This includes complying with the provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and PPN 02/23 and PPN 009 Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains. In addition, suppliers must have robust means of ensuring that the subcontractors in their supply chain also comply.
Ethical supply chain
The Council is committed to ensuring an ethical supply chain is in place for its activities. We expect the highest standards of business ethics from suppliers and their agents in the supply of goods, services and works to the Council.