NHS Procurement in Partnership Sustainability and Social Value
After the hectic year end and start to a new financial year, we would like to take some time to focus on the changing NHS landscape, particularly around Sustainability and Social Value.
NHS Procurement in Partnership (NHS PiP) has formed a Sustainability and Social Value working group to align with national policies and councils as well as ensuring our members and the wider NHS benefit at both local and regional levels.
As you are no doubt aware, from April 2022 all trusts were required to adopt the government’s Social Value Model (PPN 06/20) in the award of central government contracts, which specifies a minimum 10% weighting on net zero and social value in all tenders. NHS England has produced detailed guidance to support trusts in applying PPN 06/20. They expect to issue a social value calculator in the first quarter 2022/23, which will be circulated in due course.
To support our members in embedding these new regulations, NHS PiP has delivered four interactive Sustainability and Social Value workshops, two of which were co-designed with NHSEI. The sessions looked at:
- requirements demanded by PPN 06/20
- latest guidance from NHSEI on applying net zero and social value
- procedures involved with the Social Value Model
- how policy outcomes should be selected for tender inclusion
- how supplier responses should be evaluated using the available scoring options
- example health-focussed questions (in NHSEI guidance) that can be used in tenders
Hosted by the East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub, the workshops were attended by their members and NHS representatives from around the UK.
The journey so far has been shared at our Members' and Community & Mental Health Forums, in addition to hosting regular legal updates relevant to the topic.
NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative have established an internal working group to consider how sustainability and social value can be embedded into the organisation’s category strategy, procurement processes and framework contract management.
NHS Commercial Solutions have held two webinars, which were each presented by our Legal Services framework providers Clyde & Co LLP and Hempsons LLP. The first webinar held in December 2021 focused on practical advice on how clauses and tender requirements can be used to address a range of climate change initiatives. The second webinar held in April 2022 gave an overview of the requirements around the evaluation of social value and how this may work in practice.
NHS LPP have procured a social value reporting and monitoring tool on behalf of the five London ICBs to act as a single repository of all social value commitments made by suppliers of goods and services to the trusts, so that these can be tracked and monitored to benefit realisation. This tool is currently being rolled out to all trusts and CCGs within the NHS LPP membership and will enable a standard approach to social value within London. The learnings and experience will be shared so that the approach can be offered more widely.
Further sessions, reflecting the national focus on themes such as waste, reducing plastics, re-using rehabilitation aids, and capturing carbon footprints associated with these themes, are being developed for NHS PiP members. They will also be open to NHS organisations and public bodies.
In the meantime, there is a wealth of information, guidance and training available on the FutureNHS platform and we encourage all NHS PiP members to register if they haven’t already, in order to take advantage of these resources. NHS England is also hosting a series of Social Value drop-in sessions that our members may find useful. To request further information on these sessions, email: england.ptomsustainability@nhs.net
Over the coming months, the NHS PiP Sustainability and Social Value working group plans to focus on the following themes, in line with national priorities:
- NHS Net Zero
- Waste
- Linen and laundry
- Business travel
- Supply chain.
We are working to collate training opportunities as well as supportive guidance at this time of transition and will continue to circulate this information as it becomes available.
We are looking forward to working collaboratively with our NHS colleagues to benefit the NHS, our communities and our wider environment.
If you would like further information on this, or a discussion about how we can support you please contact Natalie Ledger, Procurement Operations Manager - enquiries@noecpc.nhs.uk