Social Value – PPN 026

On 5th August 2026, the Cabinet Office published a new Social Value Model which will come into effect from 1st  January 2027 (so will relate to any procurements/tender notices published after this date) for central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.  Other public sector organisations may also choose to adopt the PPN 026 Social Value Model too.

The new Social Value Model detailed within PPN 026 is designed to deliver social value outcomes or Model Award Criteria (MACs).  The Government wants every pound spent on public procurement to boost growth and secure benefits for the British economy, ensuring spending directly creates skills/training, work experience, and jobs in every postcode.

In a nutshell:

  • Social value scoring for contracts valued between £1m-£5m (including VAT) will attract a weighting of at least 10%.
  • Social value scoring for contracts valued over £5m (including VAT) will attract a weighting of at least 20%.
  • In autumn 2026, the Government will publish PPN 026 guidance which will include a list of Community Programmes and information on eLearning and training available at the Government Commercial College and Cabinet Office “Community of Practice” sessions.  This information will underpin social value answers for tenders.
  • Social value KPIs that suppliers commit to in tenders will be monitored throughout the contract and performance for each contract will be published on the Central Digital Platform.
  • Bidders that continuously fail to meet social value KPIs may be removed from the suppliers list and subject to exclusion from bidding for future tenders.

Outcomes with specific community objectives, model award criteria (MACs) and summary details include:

  1. Outcome 1 – Good jobs offering fair pay and good working conditions, helping people to get a job, stay in work and progress in their career with good employment opportunities across the country.
  2. Outcome 2 – Skills: activities to address skills shortages, promoting skills development opportunities particularly to those who face barriers to employment or struggle to engage in the labour market.

A detailed breakdown of these outcomes together Model Award Criteria (MACs) which replace the National TOMs is available in this free download.