Social Value and the TOMs Framework Explained
Social value can decide who wins a public contract. This guide explains what social value means in UK procurement, how PPN 06/20 and the National TOMs framework work, how it is scored, and how Glaxtons writes responses that win.
What Social Value Means in UK Procurement
Social value is the additional economic, social and environmental benefit that a contract delivers beyond the goods, works or services being purchased. It covers outcomes such as local employment, apprenticeships and training, support for small businesses and the voluntary and community sector, fair employment practices, community engagement, and action on the environment and carbon reduction.
The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 placed a duty on public bodies to consider how the services they commission and procure might improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of their area. Over time this has moved from a duty to consider into a duty to evaluate, meaning social value is now a scored part of most public sector tenders rather than an afterthought.
For suppliers, this is a significant shift. A strong technical and commercial bid can still lose to a competitor that articulates social value more credibly. Treating social value as a core, evidence-led part of your response, rather than a box-ticking exercise, is now essential to winning public sector work.
PPN 06/20 and the Social Value Model
Procurement Policy Note 06/20 introduced the Social Value Model, which central government departments and their agencies must apply in relevant procurements. It moved social value from being merely considered to being explicitly evaluated, with a minimum weighting applied so that it carries real influence over the award decision.
The Social Value Model is structured around five themes, each broken down into policy outcomes and model award criteria that buyers can select from to suit the contract.
COVID-19 recovery
Helping local communities, organisations and economies manage and recover from the impact of the pandemic.
Tackling economic inequality
Creating new businesses, jobs and skills, and increasing supply chain resilience and capacity, including opportunities for SMEs and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
Fighting climate change
Delivering environmental benefits and working towards net zero, including reducing emissions and waste across the contract.
Equal opportunity
Reducing the disability employment gap and tackling workforce inequality, including in-work progression and addressing modern slavery.
Wellbeing
Improving health and wellbeing and community integration for the workforce and the communities affected by the contract.
Under PPN 06/20, a minimum weighting of 10 percent is applied to social value in the procurements it covers, ensuring it has a meaningful effect on the outcome. Individual buyers can and often do weight it higher.
The National TOMs Framework: Themes, Outcomes and Measures
The National TOMs framework is one of the most widely used standards for measuring and reporting social value in the UK. TOMs stands for Themes, Outcomes and Measures. It was developed by the National Social Value Taskforce and is maintained alongside the Social Value Portal. Many local authorities, housing associations and other public bodies use it to specify and evaluate social value.
The framework breaks social value down into three layers. Themes are the high-level priorities, such as jobs, growth, social and environmental impact. Outcomes are the specific results a buyer wants to achieve within each theme. Measures are the practical, countable indicators used to evidence those outcomes, many of which carry a proxy financial value so that commitments can be expressed in pounds.
This structure is powerful because it makes social value quantifiable. Instead of vague promises, a supplier commits to specific measures, for example a number of apprenticeships, hours of school engagement or local spend, each of which can be tracked and reported against an agreed proxy value. Buyers can then compare bids on a consistent basis and hold the winning supplier accountable for delivery.
How Social Value Is Weighted and Scored
Social value is usually scored as a distinct section within the quality evaluation. Weightings vary by buyer and contract, commonly ranging from 10 to 20 percent or higher. In some contracts, particularly in local government and housing, social value can carry substantial weight, enough to be decisive between otherwise close bids.
Evaluators are not simply counting commitments. They assess relevance, whether your commitments match the buyer's chosen themes and measures, ambition, whether they are stretching and proportionate to the contract value, and credibility, whether you can realistically deliver them. Generic statements of intent score poorly. Specific, measurable and deliverable commitments backed by evidence and a clear delivery plan score well.
The strongest responses connect social value to the contract itself, show how commitments will be delivered, managed and reported, and provide proof from past contracts. Where the buyer uses National TOMs, quantifying commitments against the relevant measures and proxy values demonstrates both understanding and ambition.
How Glaxtons Writes Winning Social Value Responses
Glaxtons writes social value responses calibrated to the exact model the buyer is using, whether that is the PPN 06/20 Social Value Model, the National TOMs framework, or a buyer's bespoke methodology. We start from the evaluation criteria and work backwards, so every commitment maps to something that is actually scored.
With a 93% win rate and over £500M in contracts won, we turn social value from a weakness into a scoring advantage. Explore our full bid writing services, our government frameworks support, or our NHS framework specialists page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is social value in UK public procurement?
Social value is the wider economic, social and environmental benefit a contract delivers beyond the goods or services bought, such as local jobs, apprenticeships, skills, support for SMEs and the voluntary sector, and reduced carbon. Under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 and PPN 06/20, public bodies must consider and explicitly evaluate social value when awarding contracts.
What is PPN 06/20 and the Social Value Model?
Procurement Policy Note 06/20 introduced the Social Value Model, which central government departments must apply in relevant procurements. It defines five themes: COVID-19 recovery, tackling economic inequality, fighting climate change, equal opportunity and wellbeing. A minimum weighting of 10 percent is applied to social value in the procurements it covers.
What is the National TOMs framework?
The National TOMs framework is a widely used standard for measuring and reporting social value. TOMs stands for Themes, Outcomes and Measures. It structures social value into themes, the outcomes a buyer wants, and measures with proxy financial values so commitments can be quantified, scored and tracked.
How is social value weighted and scored in tenders?
Social value is usually scored as a distinct section of the quality evaluation, with weightings commonly ranging from 10 to 20 percent or more. Evaluators assess the relevance, ambition and credibility of your commitments and the evidence behind them. Specific, measurable and deliverable commitments score higher than generic statements.
How does Glaxtons write winning social value responses?
Glaxtons writes responses calibrated to the buyer's chosen model, whether PPN 06/20 or National TOMs, with quantified, deliverable commitments mapped to the relevant themes and measures, supporting evidence, and a clear delivery and reporting plan. We hold a 93% win rate and have won over £500M in contracts.
Turn Social Value Into a Winning Score
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