How to write a winning social value response

Almost every public sector tender now includes a social value question, and for many first-time bidders it's the hardest one to answer. It doesn't ask how you'll do the work. It asks what wider good the contract will do for the community, the economy and the environment, and it asks you to prove it.

The good news is that social value is very winnable. A well-structured answer from a local cleaning firm, building contractor or IT company can outscore a polished response from a national competitor, because the best answers are specific, local and proportionate. This guide walks through how to write a social value response that scores well: what buyers are looking for, how to structure your answer, the evidence you'll need, and the mistakes that cost points.

What is social value in public procurement?

Social value is the additional economic, social and environmental benefit a contract delivers beyond the goods, works or services themselves. Think local jobs, apprenticeships, spending with local suppliers, cutting carbon, or volunteering in the community.

It's rooted in law and policy. The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 requires public bodies to consider social value when buying services. The Procurement Act 2023 requires buyers to have regard to the National Procurement Policy Statement, which makes value for money the top priority, including the wider social, economic and environmental benefits a contract can bring. In central government, the Social Value Model sets out the outcomes departments can score against. Many councils and NHS bodies publish their own social value policies, and some use a measurement framework such as the Social Value Portal's TOM System (formerly the National TOMs), which assigns financial proxy values to its measures.

How is social value scored?

Social value is usually a weighted quality question. For in-scope central government contracts, it must be worth at least 10% of the total score, or an equivalent measure. Councils and other public bodies set their own weightings, and on some contracts it's higher. That makes it as valuable as one or two method statement questions combined, and often the difference between first and second place.

Like other quality questions, social value is usually marked against a scale, such as 0 to 5, with a description for each score. The top marks tend to go to answers that are relevant to the contract, specific about what will be delivered, clear about how it will be delivered and measured, and backed by evidence. Answers that list good intentions without a plan usually land in the middle of the scale at best. In practice, evaluators are asking three questions as they read: is this relevant to us, will it really happen, and how will we know? Write every paragraph so it answers at least one of them.

The buyer will tell you which outcomes they care about. Read the question carefully. A buyer who asks for commitments on "creating employment and skills opportunities for local residents" won't score a beautifully written answer about your carbon footprint.

How to write a social value response, step by step

1. Read the buyer's priorities

Start with the question, the scoring criteria and any guidance in the tender pack. Then look at the buyer's published priorities: the council plan, the social value policy, the trust's strategy. If a council says youth unemployment in two named wards is its top concern, your answer should speak to exactly that.

2. Choose a small number of relevant commitments

Pick two to four commitments that are relevant to the contract and to the buyer's priorities, and that you can genuinely deliver. A focused answer with three solid commitments beats a scattergun list of twelve. Relevance matters: commitments should flow from the contract itself, the people it employs, the money it spends and the places it works in.

3. Make every commitment specific and measurable

Each commitment should say what you'll do, how much, by when, where and for whom. Compare:

• Weak: "We will support local employment."
• Strong: "We will fill at least half of new roles on this contract with residents of the borough, advertised through the council's employment support service, and report quarterly."

Numbers make commitments believable and give the buyer something to manage. Make sure the numbers are proportionate to the contract's value and length.

4. Explain how you'll deliver it

This is where most answers fall short. Set out the method: who's responsible, which partners you'll work with (a local college, a charity, the council's employment team), what resources you'll commit, and the timeline across the contract. A commitment without a delivery plan reads as a wish.

5. Show how you'll measure and report

Describe the KPIs you'll track, how you'll collect the data, how often you'll report and to whom. Offer to align with the buyer's reporting framework. Buyers increasingly turn social value commitments into contract KPIs, so make sure you can actually report what you promise.

6. Prove you've done it before

Back each commitment with evidence from previous contracts: apprentices taken on, local spend achieved, volunteering hours delivered, carbon reduced. If you're new to public sector work, use private sector examples or your company's track record. Short, specific results beat long descriptions.

An illustrative example

Here's how a strong commitment might read for a fictional office cleaning contract. The buyer, numbers and partners are invented for illustration.

Commitment: Over the three-year contract we will create two apprenticeship places in cleaning and facilities management for residents aged 16 to 24 in the council area.

Delivery: Our operations manager will lead recruitment with the council's youth employment service and a local further education college, which will deliver the off-the-job training. Apprentices will be mentored by a site supervisor and paid the real Living Wage.

Measurement: We will report starts, retention and qualifications achieved at each quarterly contract review.

Track record: On our existing contracts we have recruited apprentices through the same route, and three of the last four stayed with us after qualifying.

Notice the shape: specific, local, owned by a named role, delivered with partners, measured, and backed by evidence.

Social value ideas by sector

The best commitments come from what your business already does. A few starting points:

Cleaning and facilities. Paying the real Living Wage, local recruitment, apprenticeships and recognised cleaning qualifications, jobs for people facing barriers to work, eco-labelled products and lower-emission travel between sites.

Construction. Local labour and apprenticeships, work placements for students, spending with local subcontractors, school and college careers sessions, community improvement projects, and waste and carbon reduction on site.

IT and digital. Digital skills training for residents or community groups, work placements and apprenticeships in technology roles, donating refurbished equipment, supporting smaller local suppliers in your supply chain, and energy-efficient hosting.

Every sector. Paying suppliers promptly, mental health and wellbeing support for staff, volunteering, and fair, inclusive recruitment.

The evidence buyers expect

• Past delivery data: numbers from previous contracts, ideally with dates and the buyer named where you have permission.
• Partnership evidence: confirmation from colleges, charities or employment services that they'll work with you.
• Policies: equality, diversity and inclusion, environmental, modern slavery, prompt payment and recruitment.
• Accreditations where relevant, such as real Living Wage accreditation or an environmental management system.
• Case studies that show social value outcomes, not just service delivery.

Common mistakes in social value responses

Generic corporate statements. Describing your company values or a charity you once supported doesn't answer the question. Commitments must relate to this contract.

Unmeasurable promises. "We will engage with the community" can't be scored or monitored. Numbers, dates and named partners can.

Ignoring the buyer's priorities. If the buyer asks for local employment, lead with local employment.

Overpromising. Commitments often become contractual KPIs. Promising thirty apprentices on a small contract may score once, then haunt you for three years.

Counting business as usual. Many buyers want additionality: benefits that happen because of this contract. Make clear what's new.

No delivery plan. A commitment without a named owner, partners and timeline reads as aspiration, and scores like it.

Where Jonty fits

Social value answers take time because they draw on evidence scattered across your business: staff numbers, local spend, apprentices, partnerships, policies. Jonty is an AI bid manager built to do that legwork.

With Jonty Bid Manager, Jonty reads the buyer's question and priorities, gathers the relevant evidence from your bid library, drafts a structured, measurable social value response, and keeps it consistent with your method statement and pricing. You check the commitments are ones you can deliver, and nothing goes to a buyer until you've approved it.

Jonty Scout finds the tenders that fit your business in the first place, with a 21-day free trial. Jonty does the paperwork. You do the work.

Social value FAQs

How long should a social value response be?

As long as the word limit allows, and no longer. Use the space for specific commitments, delivery plans and evidence rather than background about your company.

Can a business with no social value track record score well?

Yes. Make realistic, well-planned commitments, name the partners you'll work with, and draw on anything relevant you've done outside the public sector. A credible plan scores better than an inflated one.

Do social value commitments become part of the contract?

Often, yes. Many buyers include them as KPIs and ask for regular reports, so only commit to what you can deliver and measure.

More bid guides

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• How to write a winning construction tender
• How to write a winning IT services tender