‍Before we start, for those of us who may have fallen asleep at the back, what exactly is a framework?‍

A public procurement framework is a pool of pre-approved suppliers able to provide goods or services to public and third sector organisations. These suppliers must meet certain standards – and these will often include having a robust social value offer.

Having a list of pre-qualified suppliers saves buyers time and ensures they’re working with quality businesses that are aligned with their strategic goals. And it helps suppliers too – connecting them with more opportunities without having to go through the slog of providing basic information each time.

Frameworks refresh every few years to allow new suppliers to join.

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Sounds like a win-win set up? 

For the most part, it is. And it’s good for social value too. Suppliers must reach a certain standard before they come aboard, so procurers can be confident that every supplier in the pool is actively enabling social value as part of their business.

That means good eggs only – or at least that’s the theory!

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So what’s the catch?

Ahhh, there’s always a catch. Like any tool, frameworks are only as good as their design – and the people running them. 

For smaller suppliers, the hoop-jumping required to get into the framework in the first place can still be really off-putting too. Recent changes in social value legislation attempts to encourage more SMEs into the fold with a “light touch” version for smaller contracts – but it can still be a lot to get your head around.

Frameworks can also encourage a slightly lax attitude to project-specific social value delivery. Being generally good at social value as a supplier is not enough! Every project is different and the needs of every community and area are different – careful analysis and bespoke delivery are always required.

It’s up to the frameworks to ensure suppliers are enabling social value that is relevant, transparent and tangible in every case – and helping smaller, local businesses come on board to do the same.

Some are better at this than others…

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So can frameworks actually make procurers and suppliers a bit lazy when it comes to social value?‍

It’s certainly a risk. There can be a sense of “well, we’ve ticked that box, we already know they do social value, we don’t need anything else beyond a little cut and paste”. But actually the project specific elements are absolutely essential if you want to see long-lasting impact. And frameworks should also be actively working to remove the barriers that can prevent smaller businesses from getting involved. In brief – no complacency allowed!

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So a good framework is one that’s constantly working to provide a healthy system that works for the people in it, and that ensures maximum benefit is enabled for communities in each project?

Exactly. That’s why it’s really important that the frameworks themselves also have a strong social value ethos – where impact is considered as part of every decision made.
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Frameworks should be doing the following as a minimum:

• Focusing on quality over quantity – ensuring statistics are backed up with evidence (qualitative outcomes are increasingly important – the social value model has recently changed its wording to support this)

• Clearly establishing social value aims – ideally providing contractual outputs pre-tender (project specific where possible)

• Building measurable KPIs into framework agreements

• Carefully monitoring social value delivery progress throughout contracts

• Treating social value commitments as contractual obligations (including penalties for breach of contract)

• Actively working to overcome barriers to entry for SMES (simplify processes, host collaborative market engagement and training sessions for SMEs, create lots specifically aimed at smaller companies)
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‍Several major frameworks are up for renewal in 2025/26 including Yorbuild, Crown Commercial Service and National Highways.

We’ll be sharing more about how businesses big and small can get involved, whether you’re re-tendering or applying for the first time.