Bold Procurement

Inspire2Enterprise is working with commissioners, procurers and social enterprises to achieve greater social value and impact through an integrated approach to contract delivery.  This is called the Bold Procurement Initiative.

What is Bold Procurement?

The Bold Procurement Initiative has a simple aim: to deliver more social value and impact through the way the public and private sectors purchase goods and services.

It wants to encourage public and private companies to achieve greater social impact through creative and bold commissioning so whenever an organisation buys something, whether it uses taxpayers money or its own, it not only gets the goods and services it wants at best value, but it also buys social value.

How do commissioners and procurement managers benefit?

They achieve both the best value for money and achieve the best social value and impact.

How do social enterprises and social entrepreneurs benefit?

Through Inspire2Enterprise they gain the personal and organisational confidence and competence to successfully tender for public sector contracts.

Who is involved in the Bold Procurement Initiative?

The Bold Procurement initiative has been designed by experts from Bates Wells and Braithwaite (BWB), Inspire2Enterprise, E3M and The University of Northampton.

What do we mean by social value?

There are many definitions of social value that all share common elements.  What the Bold Procurement Initiative means by social value is ‘a deliberate, designed, and measured programme that helps the disadvantaged and excluded in our society’.  In practice, social value is: running training and into work schemes for people that are not in education, employment or training (NEET) or ex-offenders; providing free or subsidised transport for the elderly and disabled; designing and delivering individual care packages for the sick.

How does commissioning, contracting and procurement deliver social value?

Social value can be delivered by Commissioners and Procurement Managers either directly or indirectly.  Directly, a contract can be awarded to a social enterprise to provide the goods and/or services required.  Indirectly, a contract could be awarded to a private sector organisation but with a requirement that the private sector contractor either delivers social value directly themselves (for example, by training and employing NEETs to deliver part of a service) or deliver it through social enterprises that they include in their supply chain.

Does social value compromise best value?

Some Commissioners and Procurement Managers believe that building social value outcomes into a contract means it will be more expensive.  This belief is incorrect.  Bold Procurement does not mean not getting the best value in tendering and contracting.  In fact, implementing Bold Procurement will normally save money as the provision of designed and measured services to the disadvantaged and excluded will result in many of them being less reliant on benefits and health care, in both the short and long term.