20 Practical Social Value Ideas for SMEs
5 min readBy Kim FraterPublished 2026-07-27
“I believe public procurement shouldn’t be complicated. Every guide I write explains the process in plain English so you can bid with confidence.”
Hi, I'm Kim. If you're new to public procurement, don't worry, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know in plain English.
One of the biggest concerns I hear from small businesses is:
"We're only a small company. We don't have a huge social value budget."
The good news is that you don't need one.
Some of the strongest social value commitments I've seen have come from SMEs that simply understood their local community and made realistic promises they could genuinely deliver.
Buyers aren't looking for the biggest organisation or the largest cheque. They're looking for commitments that are relevant to the contract, achievable and capable of making a positive difference.
In this guide, I've put together 20 practical social value ideas that many SMEs can adapt to suit their own business and the contracts they're bidding for.
Before You Start
Remember that social value isn't about copying a list into every tender.
The ideas below are intended to inspire you, not provide a template.
Always tailor your commitments to the buyer's priorities, the type of contract you'll be delivering and the community you'll be working in.
Employment and Skills
1. Recruit Locally
Where practical, advertise vacancies within the local area before recruiting further afield. Talk about how you will recruit, like using local job centres etc. This shows how you will use the contract to create employment opportunities and keep investment within the local economy.
2. Offer Work Experience
Partner with local schools, colleges or employment programmes to provide short work placements. Talk about which local education establishments you plan to approach, by naming them it shows you understand the local area and have already invested time in considering who is most suitable. Even a week of meaningful work experience can make a real difference to someone starting their career.
3. Create Apprenticeships
If your business is large enough, consider creating apprenticeship opportunities linked to the contract. Give detail about how you will create the apprenticeship and how it will be run. Apprenticeships provide long-term benefits for both the individual and your organisation.
4. Support People Returning to Work
Consider opportunities for people returning to employment after a career break, redundancy or other life changes. Talk about the flexibility you can offer and how it would be managed. Flexible recruitment can open doors for people who may otherwise struggle to find work.
5. Deliver Career Talks
Offer to speak at local schools or colleges about careers in your industry. Outline the educational establishments you would target and how you selected them and what benefit it brings to that particular establishment. Sharing knowledge costs very little but can inspire future generations.
Supporting the Local Economy
6. Use Local Suppliers
Where appropriate, purchase goods and services from local SMEs. Outline what you envisage you would purchase and where locally you would intend to spend. This helps strengthen the local economy and supports other businesses within the community.
7. Pay Suppliers Promptly
Prompt payment can make a significant difference to smaller businesses and demonstrates responsible business practices. Outline your process and how this benefits supply chains.
8. Create Opportunities for SMEs
If subcontracting is required, consider how smaller local businesses can participate in the delivery of the contract.
Community Engagement
9. Employee Volunteering
Allow employees paid time each year to support local charities or community projects. Outline local opportunities that you would target. This creates positive local impact while encouraging staff engagement.
10. Support Community Projects
Rather than making financial donations, consider offering your expertise, equipment or time to community organisations. Skills can often be more valuable than money.
11. Sponsor Local Activities
Where appropriate, support community events, sports clubs or local initiatives that benefit residents. Keep these commitments relevant to the contract and community.
12. Share Professional Knowledge
Offer free workshops or training sessions where your business has specialist expertise. For example, a security company could provide personal safety advice, while an IT company could deliver cyber security awareness sessions.
Environmental Improvements
13. Reduce Carbon Emissions
Review vehicle usage, delivery routes and energy consumption to identify practical ways to reduce emissions during the contract. If you can, show a current baseline and the targets you are working toward.
14. Reduce Waste
Introduce measures to minimise waste, improve recycling or reduce the use of single-use plastics where practical. Outline practical steps and any targets and timelines you are committed to achieving.
15. Choose Sustainable Products
Use environmentally responsible products and suppliers wherever they meet the buyer's requirements. Outline what you use and why.
16. Improve Biodiversity
Support local environmental projects such as tree planting, habitat improvement or community green spaces where these activities are relevant and deliverable.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
17. Promote Inclusive Recruitment
Review recruitment practices to ensure opportunities are accessible to a diverse range of applicants.
18. Provide Ongoing Training
Offer staff development in areas such as equality, mental health awareness, customer service or safeguarding where relevant to the contract.
Health and Wellbeing
19. Support Employee Wellbeing
Healthy, supported employees are more likely to deliver excellent services. Consider wellbeing initiatives that improve staff health, resilience and engagement.
20. Promote Mental Health Awareness
Provide access to mental health support, awareness training or employee assistance programmes where appropriate. Looking after your workforce benefits both your employees and the quality of the service you deliver.
Choosing the Right Ideas
You don't need to include all of these ideas in your tender. In fact, you shouldn't. A buyer is far more likely to be impressed by four or five commitments that are clearly linked to the contract than a long list of generic promises.
When deciding what to include, ask yourself:
Is it relevant to this contract?
Can we genuinely deliver it?
Will it benefit the buyer or local community?
Can we measure it?
Can we provide evidence if asked?
If the answer to those questions is yes, you're on the right track.
My Final Thoughts
One of the biggest misconceptions about social value is that it requires a large budget or a dedicated team.
In reality, many SMEs already create social value through the way they recruit, support their employees, work with local suppliers and engage with their communities.
The challenge isn't inventing social value, it's recognising what you're already doing and presenting it in a way that is relevant to the contract and meaningful to the buyer.
Focus on a small number of realistic, measurable commitments, explain how you'll deliver them and be prepared to report on your progress. That's far more persuasive than making a long list of ambitious promises that are difficult to evidence.
Thanks for reading.
I hope this guide has made public procurement a little easier to understand.
Kim Frater
Founder, Bid Trawler
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