Knowledge Hub
Dive into case studies, digital tools, and insights that showcase practical strategies and proven approaches for embedding social value across organisations.
eGuides and Digital Tools
eBook: AI for Social Value
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly integrated into our personal and professional lives, with Generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT showcasing both its vast potential and significant risks.
This guide aims to introduce AI to professionals in social value, particularly within local authorities. It explores how AI can be leveraged for public good, addressing economic transformations, ethical challenges, and community impacts.
eGuide: Maximising Social Value for Local Authorities
This guide aims to provide local authorities with practical strategies and best practices for embedding social value into their everyday operations. It outlines how social value can be integrated from project inception through to evaluation, helping authorities maximise the positive impacts of their activities.
Social Value Maturity Assessment: A Free Tool for Local Authorities
Local authorities play a vital role in promoting the social, economic, and environmental well-being of their communities. Understanding how deeply social value is embedded within your organisation is essential for transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. The Social Value Maturity Assessment offers a free, structured approach designed specifically to help local authorities evaluate and enhance their social value initiatives.
Articles and How-To Guides
Is sustainability the same as social value?
In recent years, the terms sustainability and social value have become increasingly prominent in public policy, procurement, and business strategy. But while they’re often used interchangeably, especially in tenders and ESG reports, they’re not quite the same thing.
So what’s the difference—and how are they similar?
What is the role of procurement in authentic social value delivery?
“Social value will be at the heart of this procurement.”
You’ve heard it. You might have said it. But what does it really mean — and more importantly, what does it ask of procurement?
Evaluating grant applications: how to spot real social value
Organisations responsible for awarding grants play an important role in deciding where funding goes and how effectively it contributes to social change. Accurately identifying genuine social value among numerous applications can be challenging. This article outlines how to evaluate grant applications effectively by applying the Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology.
How do I assign financial values to outcomes in my SROI analysis?
Assigning financial values to outcomes is a core step in Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis. It involves estimating the monetary value of the outcomes experienced by stakeholders as a result of a project or service. To apply these values, we use ‘approximations of value’, also known as proxies.
What is the difference between SROI and the TOMs framework?
This article explores how TOMs and SROI differ, where each approach has strengths, and why a more holistic view of social value is increasingly being called for.
What is the new Social Value Model?
If you’re working in public procurement, bidding for government contracts, or supporting organisations that do, you’ve probably come across PPN 002 (2025) – the latest update to the UK Government’s Social Value Model. But what does it actually mean in practice?
Preparing for the new Procurement Act: what VCSEs need to know and how the Social Value Engine can help
The new Procurement Act is reshaping public sector purchasing and placing social value at the heart of contract decisions. This shift offers exciting opportunities for Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations, but it also raises the bar on how to measure and prove social impact.
How To: Applying impact adjustments (deflators) in social impact assessments
Measuring a project’s true impact accurately is important in social impact assessment. Concepts like leakage, deadweight, attribution, drop-off, and displacement—collectively known as impact adjustments or deflators—help refine impact calculations. This article explores these concepts and explains how to apply them within the Social Value Engine.
Understanding the 8 Social Value International Principles
The Social Value Engine relies on eight core principles to guide organisations in measuring and enhancing social value effectively.
Case Studies
Case Study: Devon Communities Together
Devon Communities Together, a charity focused on community development, needed a better way to demonstrate the real-world impact of their diverse projects.
Case Study: Orkney Islands Council
Orkney Islands Council struggled to demonstrate the value of its cultural investments. By customising the Social Value Engine, Dr Emma Gee translated qualitative and quantitative data into tangible social value metrics, bolstering the case for ongoing funding. This evidence-driven approach has also fostered innovative community initiatives, enhancing accountability and long-term impact.
Case Study: Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services (PAVS)
Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services (PAVS) empowers local charities and social enterprises by helping them measure and showcase social value. Using the Social Value Engine, PAVS provides tailored support, enabling individuals and organisations to confidently increase revenue streams, secure funding, align with Welsh policies, and effectively communicate their impact, significantly enhancing their community contributions.
Case Study: Work West
Work West, a Belfast-based enterprise agency, specialises in supporting social enterprises to establish and expand their operations. Stephen McGarry, a Social Enterprise Business Advisor at Work West, supports organisations through various stages; from idea formation and legal set up to measuring social impact and identifying opportunities for social value.
Case Study: Tyne & Esk
Tyne & Esk, supported by East Lothian Council as the accountable body under Scotland’s Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) programme, needed a more robust way to evidence the social impact of local initiatives. By adopting the Social Value Engine (SVE), they can now provide tangible, data-driven insights into project outcomes, ensuring funding decisions align with real community benefit.
Case Study: Cheshire Community Action
The Social Value Engine met with Mark Reading, CEO of Cheshire Community Action, to discuss his experience of using the platform.
Case Study: Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Interview with Mark Platts, Director of Finance, Digital & Estates
Case Study: East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Over a decade ago, East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) embarked on a transformative journey, integrating social value as a strategic priority.
Case Study: Leeds City Council
In 2022, Leeds City Council enhanced community impact by implementing the Social Value Engine. Sasha Walton, Social Value Delivery Manager, shares her insights in this guest blog.