Procurement Social Value    

FOI REFERENCE: 24417    FOI DATE: 9^th October 2024    

Request:

This is in relation to the use of social value weighting of 10 per cent in your procurement of goods and services, which has been mandated by government for NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts since April 2022. 

Please send me: 

1.What methods do you use to measure social value from your procurements? Please include any additional measurement methods you use (e.g. TOMs) as well as the NHS Social Value Model. 

2. What is the total social value accrued by your procurement activities each year from April 2022, according to how you measure and report this at a corporate level? If possible, can you provide any explanatory notes to explain how you have measured this?  

3.Do you use financial proxies to monetise the measurement of social value, such as social local economic value? If so: 

a. Please specify the method or measure you use to monetise the measurement of social value 

b. Please provide the total number of contracts to which you applied this financial proxy each financial year since April 2022 

c. Please provide the total value of those contracts 

d. Please provide the total monetized social value of those contracts 

e. Please provide the total value of all contracts let during that same period 

4.How much in total have you spent in procurement on local business/organisations, each financial year, since April 2022? Please including your definition of a local business/organisation, if you have one. 

5.How much have you spent on SMEs each FY since April 2022? The government defines an SME as a company with fewer than 250 employees, turnover under €50m and balance sheet under €43. If the trust has a different definition, then please provide it. 

6.How much have you spent on VCSEs each FY since April 2022? Again, please include your definition of a VCSE if you have one. 

Response:

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust primarily utilize Nationally organized Frameworks and NHS Supply Chain Contracts for almost all of our purchases. This approach ensures compliance with regulations, including the social value requirements mandated by the government for NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts since April 2022.

The monitoring and reporting of social value metrics, including the 10% weighting in procurement, are primarily handled by the Framework Suppliers and NHS Supply Chain centrally. As such, detailed information on social value measurements, financial proxies, and specific spending breakdowns are not directly managed or tracked at our Trust level.

Given our reliance on these national procurement systems, we do not have localized data on:

1. Specific methods used to measure social value
2. Total social value accrued from our procurement activities
3. Use of financial proxies to monetize social value measurements
4. Detailed contract information and associated social value metrics
5. Specific spending on local businesses/organizations
6. Precise spending figures for SMEs and VCSEs

For more comprehensive information on how social value is incorporated and measured across NHS procurement, we would recommend contacting NHS Supply Chain or the relevant National Framework organizers directly. They would be better positioned to provide the detailed data you’re seeking, as they oversee these aspects centrally for multiple NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust remain committed to supporting the NHS’s broader goals of delivering social value through our procurement practices, and we continue to work within the established national frameworks to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and mandates.