A guide for choosing Social Value Brokerage provider
Finding the right ‘Social Value Brokerage’ can be challenging, but it’s essential for creating impactful partnerships. When local authorities aim to implement a matchmaking system for their suppliers, understanding the unique offerings of each platform is crucial. VCSE directories and brokerage products can vary significantly, so it’s important to invest wisely for the long term, ensuring both suppliers and VCSEs have clear expectations about the quality and depth of their collaborations.
1) Matchmaking for Meaningful Impact
Many VCSE directories and matchmaking systems are available, but their effectiveness depends on the data quality and user engagement. For suppliers to meet social value criteria in tenders, they need a comprehensive understanding of VCSE projects, including resource needs and timelines. Projects can be categorised into two types:
- Community initiatives are suitable for one-off volunteering and donations.
- Programs where charities or social enterprises engage in long-term partnerships, acting as ‘social value supply partners.’
A robust system should accommodate both types of partnerships to truly support local procurement. Integrating long-term employability, training, education, health, and environmental initiatives into the bidding process is vital, in shaping the social value package that local authorities receive.
2) Local Relevance Beyond Postcodes
Local relevance isn’t solely determined by a VCSE’s registration address. Many organisations operate across boroughs or even counties, making it essential to focus on projects that have operational local significance rather than focusing on the local postcode of the head office. Successful interventions in areas like environmental sustainability, employment, health, and equal opportunity are usually scalable and run by organisations with special expertise built over decades in various areas.
3) Meaningful Impact Reporting
Too often, impact is measured only by numbers, such as donations or volunteer counts. For local authorities to grasp the true difference made, qualitative outcomes are essential. This includes evidence of specific interventions, case studies, and testimonials that highlight real impact. Suppliers should be equipped to report these outcomes, which should also be integrated into a monitoring system for the local authority, streamlining reporting processes. For suppliers to do this, the data must come from the VCSEs they supported.
4) The Power of Data
Understanding the VCSE landscape—comprising registered charities, social enterprises, and community groups—is crucial. Conducting due diligence with official government data is essential, ensuring that suppliers have access to this information for their own evaluations. Monitoring interactions and impact reports should be transparent, enabling local authorities to effectively assess social value progress.
5) Cybersecurity Matters
Cybersecurity is a vital consideration in procurement. Local authorities must ensure that any systems introduced for suppliers to use protect confidential information regarding delivered social value.
6) Engaging Platforms
No platform thrives without ongoing promotion, onboarding support, and customer assistance. When selecting a system, clarify responsibilities for engagement—whether it falls to the platform, local authorities, or a collaborative effort. The goal of any social value brokerage is to connect relevant VCSEs with suppliers and contracting authorities, requiring a strong marketing strategy and excellent customer service.
7) Evaluating Procurement and Monitoring
Social value is increasingly critical in tender evaluations, and successful contracts often stem from strong delivery plans established during the bidding stage. Specific partnerships with VCSEs should be clearly demonstrated in bids, supporting the KPIs presented. A good brokerage system can facilitate these preliminary partnership plans, bringing them to life once contracts are awarded.
8) Supporting VCSE Engagement
Recognising that VCSEs operate with tight budgets and limited time is essential when encouraging their participation in platforms. An ideal system should cater also to both local authorities and third-sector grant processes, streamlining impact reporting into a unified format. Asking VCSEs to sign up various systems, will eventually wither engagement.
Providing training and user-friendly tools as part of the platform service can enhance VCSEs’ ability to report on impact effectively.
In Summary
Choosing a long-term, sustainable matchmaking system to amplify social and environmental impact requires careful consideration of multiple factors. By prioritising meaningful partnerships and fostering an inclusive approach, local authorities can create a vibrant ecosystem that benefits everyone involved.
whatimpact.com offers high quality, high engagement social value brokerage concept for local authorities who take social value seriously. Out technology, engagement and training model built since 2017 ensures that you can offer a vibrant, locally relevant concept to maximise impact on the ground. Our engagement model with local voluntary centres and other VCSE bodies enhances the cross-sector connections to the next level.
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