Social Value Statement: SAMPLE
Prepared for: Sample Cleaning Ltd (a fictional contract cleaner with 45 staff, based in Walsall). Bid: a fictional 3-year cleaning contract for a council's 14 office and community buildings, worth about £420,000 a year, with 18 cleaning staff on the contract. Question (weighted 10%, 750 words max): "Describe the social value you will deliver through this contract. Your commitments should be specific, measurable and relevant to the Council's priorities: local employment, skills, fair work, the environment and the local community. Explain how you will report on them."
How a real statement is made: we read the buyer's own priorities (their social value policy, corporate plan, or the themes in the tender), then choose commitments the client can actually keep, and set a number, a date and a way of evidencing each one. Buyers score commitments they can check, so we never promise what the client can't prove.
Our commitments at a glance
| # | Commitment | Measure | By when | Evidence we will provide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Local jobs | At least 70% of contract staff live within the Council's area; all vacancies advertised through the Council's employment service first | From mobilisation, then every quarter | Anonymised postcode list and vacancy log |
| 2 | Jobs for people further from work | 3 jobs filled by people who were long-term unemployed, care leavers or ex-offenders, working with [local employment charity] | 1 in year 1, 2 more by the end of year 2 | Referral records (anonymised), start dates |
| 3 | Fair pay | Every cleaner on the contract paid at least the Real Living Wage, including the April uplift within 4 weeks | Throughout | Payroll summary each quarter |
| 4 | Skills | 18 staff complete accredited cleaning skills training (BICSc or equivalent) and 2 cleaners complete a Level 2 team leading qualification | Year 1 | Certificates |
| 5 | Local suppliers | At least £15,000 a year spent with SMEs and social enterprises based in the region (for example uniforms, consumables and equipment servicing) | Each contract year | Invoice summary |
| 6 | Carbon | Cut chemical deliveries by 50% through concentrated dosing systems; all supervisor site visits by electric or hybrid vehicle by month 12 | Month 12 | Delivery records, vehicle list, annual Carbon Reduction Plan |
| 7 | Community | 60 volunteering hours a year for the Council's community buildings or local charities, for example deep cleaning a community centre before reopening | Each contract year | Volunteering log with dates and hours |
1. Local employment
We will recruit locally, because local staff are more reliable, travel less and spend their wages in the area. We expect most of the current team to transfer to us under TUPE. For any new roles, we will advertise through the Council's employment and skills service for 5 working days before advertising anywhere else. We will hold one open recruitment day a year in a Council community building.
2. Opening doors for people further from work
Cleaning is often a first step back into work. We will work with [a named local charity or the Council's employment programme] to fill at least 3 roles over the contract with people who have been out of work for a long time, care leavers, or ex-offenders (where the site's safeguarding rules allow). Each new starter gets a named buddy for their first 8 weeks, and paid hours to attend the charity's support sessions.
3. Fair work
Every cleaner on this contract will be paid at least the Real Living Wage. We will pass on the annual increase within 4 weeks of it being announced. We give 2 weeks' notice of rotas, and do not use zero-hours contracts for permanent roles. We believe fair treatment is why our staff turnover is [__]% a year, compared with a sector average of around 30%.
4. Skills and progression
All 18 staff will complete accredited cleaning training in the first year, delivered in paid time. Training covers chemical safety, infection control and equipment. Two cleaners will be supported to complete a Level 2 qualification in team leading, so our next supervisors come from within the contract.
5. Spending with local businesses
We will buy consumables, uniforms and equipment servicing from small businesses and social enterprises in the region wherever the price and quality are comparable, with a target of at least £15,000 a year. We will report this spend every year with supplier names.
6. Reducing our environmental impact
We will switch the contract to concentrated, dilution-controlled products and microfibre, which halves chemical deliveries and cuts water use. Supervisors will visit sites in electric or hybrid vehicles by month 12. We will publish an annual Carbon Reduction Plan and share it with the Council.
7. Supporting the local community
Our team will give 60 hours a year of volunteering, planned with the Council's community team. This could include deep cleans for community centres, clean-ups with local groups, or talks at schools about careers in facilities work.
How we will report
- Every quarter: a one-page report against each commitment in the table above, with evidence attached, sent with the contract performance report.
- Every year: a review meeting with the Council to agree next year's targets, raising them where we have exceeded them.
- If we fall behind: we will say so in the quarterly report, explain why, and set out a recovery plan with a date.
The Operations Manager is responsible for delivering these commitments, and the Managing Director reviews them every quarter.
(About 700 words including the table, within the 750-word limit. In a real statement, every number is agreed with the client first, and the named partners are real organisations the client has spoken to.)