How to Write Social Value That Scores

1. Understand how social value is measured

Most public buyers evaluate social value against a framework, most commonly the National TOMs (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) or a local variant. Each measure has a definition and often a proxy value. Your job is to select the measures that matter to this buyer and commit to specific, evidenced numbers against them, not to write a general statement about being a responsible business.

2. Make every commitment SMART

• Specific - exactly what you will do, and for whom
• Measurable - a number: hours, jobs, apprenticeships, spend, tonnes
• Achievable - deliverable within the contract, with a method behind it
• Relevant - tied to the buyer priorities and the local area
• Time-bound - when it will be delivered across the contract term

3. Make it local and relevant

Buyers reward social value that lands in their community and their priorities. Name the local area, reference the buyer social value or corporate priorities where published, and commit to outcomes that visibly benefit the people they serve. Generic national commitments score lower than the same effort directed locally.

4. Evidence delivery and governance

A commitment is only credible if you can show how it will be delivered and measured. Explain the method, who is accountable, the partners involved, and how you will report progress. Buyers have been promised social value before and not received it, so evidence of a delivery mechanism is what turns a promise into a scored point.

5. Social value mistakes that lose marks

• Vague commitments with no numbers or dates
• National or generic pledges with no local relevance
• Over-promising figures you cannot credibly deliver
• Ignoring the buyer published social value priorities
• No delivery method, ownership, or reporting mechanism