Social value scoring in a public sector cleaning tender means the buyer awards marks for wider public benefit - local jobs, skills, environmental and community outcomes - alongside price and quality, commonly at a minimum 10% weighting. Central government tenders now apply PPN 002 (mandatory for procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 from 1 October 2025), which replaced PPN 06/20. Most councils and NHS bodies are not legally bound by either note, but many still build their own social value scoring on the same Social Value Model that PPN 06/20 introduced in January 2021 - so always check the specific ITT rather than assume a percentage.
What is social value in public procurement?
Social value is the idea that public spending should deliver more than the contracted service itself - additional economic, social and environmental benefit for the area. In England and Wales, the legal root is the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, which requires public authorities to consider, before starting a procurement for services, how what is proposed to be procured might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the relevant area, and how they might secure that improvement.
The 2012 Act creates a duty to consider social value - it does not set a fixed percentage weighting or a mandatory scoring method. That is what later Procurement Policy Notes were introduced to standardise, at least for central government.
What did PPN 06/20 require, and is it still in force?
Procurement Policy Note 06/20, Taking Account of Social Value in the Award of Central Government Contracts, became mandatory for central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies from 1 January 2021. It introduced the Government's Social Value Model - five themes (COVID-19 recovery, tackling economic inequality, fighting climate change, equal opportunity, and wellbeing) built from a wider set of policy outcomes - and required a minimum 10% weighting for social value in the award of in-scope contracts.
PPN 06/20 is historical guidance now. It remains valid only for procurement processes (including framework competitions) that were already under way before the Procurement Act 2023 commenced on 24 February 2025, and for the transitional period before PPN 002 became mandatory. For any new public sector cleaning tender being run in 2026, PPN 06/20 should not be cited as the current rule - PPN 002 has taken its place for the organisations it covers.
What is the current position in 2026: PPN 002 and the Procurement Act 2023?
The Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025, replacing the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for most English, Welsh and Northern Irish public contracts. Alongside it, the Government published PPN 002, Taking Account of Social Value in the Award of Central Government Contracts, which updates the Social Value Model and aligns it with the priorities set out in the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS).
PPN 002 became mandatory for in-scope organisations - central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies - running covered (above-threshold) procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 from 1 October 2025. It keeps the same principle as its predecessor: a minimum 10% weighting for social value in the overall evaluation score. Procurements that began under the Act before that date could choose to apply either PPN 002 or continue with PPN 06/20 during the transition, but by 2026 that transition window has closed and PPN 002 is the live central government standard.
Does this apply to your council, NHS trust or housing association buyer?
This is the point most cleaning contractors get wrong. PPN 002 (like PPN 06/20 before it) is mandatory only for central government bodies - it does not legally bind local authorities, NHS trusts, police and fire authorities, or housing associations. Those bodies are, however, all "contracting authorities" under the Procurement Act 2023 and, where the Act applies to them, must have regard to the National Procurement Policy Statement issued under section 13 of the Act, which sets the Government's strategic procurement priorities (including social value, SME access and resilience).
In practice, most councils and NHS commissioners choose to run their own social value scoring anyway - often modelled on the same Social Value Model themes, sometimes through the Social Value Portal's TOMs (Themes, Outcomes, Measures) framework, and often at a similar 10% or higher weighting as a matter of local policy rather than legal obligation. The weighting, themes and measures can and do vary between authorities - the only reliable source is the evaluation methodology published in the specific ITT.
What actually gets scored in a social value response?
Whichever framework a buyer uses, evaluators are typically looking for the same categories of commitment, made specific and measurable rather than generic:
- Jobs and skills - local employment created on the contract, apprenticeship weeks, work experience placements
- Local economic growth - spend with local SMEs and voluntary/community organisations in your supply chain
- Environmental benefit - carbon reduction, waste diverted from landfill, use of low-impact cleaning products and electric or low-emission vehicles
- Wellbeing and community - employee volunteering hours, support for local community groups, health and wellbeing initiatives for the workforce
How to write a strong social value response for a cleaning tender
Read the specific evaluation criteria and local priorities before drafting anything - do not submit a generic social value statement written for a different authority. State commitments as specific, measurable numbers ("4 FTE local cleaning roles recruited from within the borough in Year 1", not "we support local employment"). Name any delivery partners (a local training provider, a jobcentre, a community organisation) rather than referring to them vaguely.
Only commit to what is deliverable - buyers increasingly monitor social value delivery against the commitments made at tender, quarterly or annually, and under-delivery damages your record for future bids. State how you will monitor and report progress, and who is responsible for it.
PPN 06/20 vs PPN 002 at a glance
| PPN 06/20 (2021-2025) | PPN 002 (from 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status in 2026 | Historical - superseded for Procurement Act procurements | Current standard for in-scope bodies |
| Legal basis | PCR 2015 policy note | Procurement Act 2023 / NPPS-aligned policy note |
| Mandatory for | Central government depts, executive agencies, NDPBs | Same: central government depts, executive agencies, NDPBs |
| Minimum weighting | 10% of total score | 10% of total score (unchanged) |
| Applies to councils/NHS? | Not legally binding - adopted voluntarily by many | Not legally binding - adopted voluntarily by many |