Advancing social value at JBA

Advancing social value at JBA

Discover how our new Social Value and Engagement team are transforming our approach to social value within JBA.

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The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 transformed public sector procurement by requiring consideration of social, environmental, and economic impacts. Initially lacking government guidance, its momentum grew with frameworks like the National TOMs (2016) and Social Value Model (2020), enabling social value integration into tendering.

At JBA, we embrace this evolving focus, embedding social value into our work to enhance the benefits to communities and deliver lasting positive impacts. Our Social Value and Engagement team, along with company-wide efforts, is transforming our approach to social value, ensuring it’s woven into the fabric of our operations. With continued commitment and innovation, we’re confident in our ability to make a meaningful impact on the communities we serve. For us, social value is not just a “nice to have” – it’s a fundamental part of who we are and how we operate.

Aligning our approach with Labour's social value agenda

The Labour Government’s recent budget represents a decisive shift toward high levels of public investment, setting the stage for consulting firms aiming to secure work with government bodies. With a stronger emphasis on social value, consultancies looking to win contracts from national and local governments must demonstrate their commitment to delivering measurable wider benefits.

Labour’s recent budget highlights a commitment to diverse, mission-led business models to grow the cooperative economy. Pledges include establishing a Social Value Council to uphold standards and introducing a Social Value Policy role within the Cabinet Office. Meanwhile, the Procurement Act 2023, now launching in 2025, aims to streamline procurement for small businesses and social enterprises with measures like the ‘competitive flexible’ procedure, open commercial frameworks, reduced bureaucracy, and 30-day payment terms for more contracts. A new digital platform will enhance access to tenders, while public bodies must provide detailed feedback on final tenders, promoting transparency.

The expected move from the 'most economically advantageous tender' (MEAT) criteria to a 'most advantageous tender' (MAT) standard aligns with Labour’s commitment to integrating social and environmental sustainability in public spending. This transition parallels evaluative frameworks like the Treasury’s Green Book, which guides project appraisal (now including well-being valuation methods).

Labour’s budget also introduces broader initiatives to boost economic and environmental sustainability. Plans to strengthen local economies through community wealth-building policies underpin aims to create more resilient regional economies. Workers’ rights and healthcare investment will also experience changes. Their ambitious Green Energy Revolution includes halting new fossil fuel licenses and investing in renewable energy, aiming to tackle climate change, address energy poverty, and expand employment in the green economy.

Driving impact - our Social Value Framework and metrics for measurable progress

Our Social Value Framework, based on a selection of the National TOMs (Themes, Outcomes, and Measures), provides structured metrics to monitor progress on our commitments. Over the 5 themes we have 39 measures:

  • Jobs – 9 measures
  • Growth – 14 measures
  • Social – 2 measures
  • Environment – 12 measures
  • Innovation – 2 measures

We are developing a Power BI dashboard, a visual analytics tool that transforms complex data into interactive, user-friendly visuals, allowing us to track and evaluate our social impact in real-time. This data-driven approach empowers us to make informed decisions and continuously improve our social value delivery by monitoring our progress on the measures. However, data alone only tells part of the story. To truly understand our impact, we are also collecting stories and focusing on the qualitative side of reporting—because there are no stories without numbers and no numbers without stories. Together, these elements paint a fuller, richer picture of the difference we’re making.

Developing a local-needs-centered strategy for lasting community impact

JBA Labs, our innovation accelerator programme, has funded the scoping of a local needs assessment tool. This tool aims to help us better understand the socio-demographic characteristics of different geographical areas, allowing us to tailor our community engagement efforts more effectively. By identifying local needs, we can adapt our social value initiatives to maximise their positive impact.

We are integrating this approach into our projects, using local needs insights to shape how each initiative can deliver wider benefits. By focusing on a local-needs-centred strategy, we aim to ensure that our projects create meaningful, lasting impacts for communities, aligning our efforts with the unique challenges and opportunities in each area.

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Want to know more?

Contact Lucy Formoy, our Social Value and Engagement Lead.

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