TL;DR – the short answer
Under the Procurement Act 2023, which applies to procurements started on or after 24 February 2025, contracting authorities must have regard to maximising public benefit and to the National Procurement Policy Statement. For central government, PPN 002 goes further. From 1 October 2025, in-scope bodies must use the Social Value Model and apply a minimum 10% weighting to social value in the total score. Because cleaning contracts are labour-heavy, the model points buyers towards fair work outcomes first: good jobs, fair conditions and skills.
For anyone bidding for, or buying, cleaning and facilities services in the public sector, social value is no longer a box to tick at the end of a tender. It is scored, weighted and written into the contract. If your organisation is a council, NHS body, school trust or central government department, or a supplier to one, it helps to understand exactly what has changed.
This guide explains the rules, how they apply to cleaning contracts, and what credible social value commitments look like.
10%
Minimum social value weighting of the total score for in-scope central government procurements
Source: Cabinet Office, PPN 002
24 Feb 2025
Date from which the Procurement Act 2023 applies to new procurements
Source: Cabinet Office, PPN 002
£5m+
Contract value above which authorities must set and publish at least three KPIs
Source: Procurement Act 2023, s.52
Social value means the wider social, economic and environmental benefits a contract delivers beyond the core service, such as creating good jobs, training local people, cutting carbon or supporting community groups. In a cleaning contract, it is the difference between “the building is clean” and “the building is clean, and the contract created local jobs, apprenticeships and measurable environmental improvements”.
The Act doesn’t use a single “social value” clause. Instead, it builds public benefit into the core duties:
The Act and the Procurement Regulations 2024 apply to procurements commenced on or after 24 February 2025. Contracts awarded under the old rules continue under those rules [5].
Procurement Policy Note 002, Taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts, updates the government’s Social Value Model and aligns it with the government’s missions. It replaced PPN 06/20 [5]. Its key requirements are:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who it applies to | Central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (“in-scope organisations”). Other contracting authorities may choose to apply it. |
| Which procurements | Above-threshold (covered) procurements under the Procurement Act 2023, where social value is relevant and proportionate |
| When | Mandatory for in-scope procurements commenced on or after 1 October 2025 |
| Minimum weighting | At least 10% of the total score, or 10% of the quality score where absolute methods such as price per quality point are used |
| Contract terms | All social value commitments made in the tender must be reflected in the contract as terms, KPIs or performance indicators |
| Local jobs | Where local jobs are created to perform the contract, they must be advertised through the government’s “Find a Job” service |
| Proportionality | Buyers must avoid unnecessary burdens and consider barriers faced by SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises |
For councils, NHS trusts and academy trusts: PPN 002 is mandatory only for central government bodies, but many other public buyers use the Social Value Model as a template. The Procurement Act’s duty to have regard to public benefit and the NPPS applies more widely, subject to the Act’s exceptions.
The model is a menu. Buyers pick the outcomes most relevant to the contract, then score bidders’ qualitative responses against model award criteria, with standard reporting metrics for the contract. The outcomes are grouped under the government’s missions and include [6]:
One note in the model matters a great deal for cleaning. Under the Fair Work outcome, it advises that where there is a large proportion of labour costs in the contract, commercial teams should treat the Fair Work criteria as a priority [6]. Cleaning is about as labour-intensive as public contracts get.
Evaluators are looking for commitments that are specific, measurable, relevant to the contract and deliverable, not general corporate statements. The model’s fair work criteria, for example, look for evidence about the contract workforce, such as employment contracts that reflect actual hours worked, and monitoring of workforce engagement [6].
| Weak response | Stronger response |
|---|---|
| “We are committed to supporting local communities.” | “We will recruit at least X operatives for this contract from the local authority area, advertised via Find a Job, and report quarterly by UK region.” |
| “We pay our staff fairly.” | “All contract staff will be paid at least the statutory National Living Wage, currently £12.71 an hour, with contracted hours that reflect hours actually worked.” |
| “We care about the environment.” | “We will use concentrated, refillable chemicals and microfibre systems on site, and report chemical and plastic reductions against an agreed baseline.” |
| “We offer training.” | “We will create X apprenticeship places on the contract and give every operative accredited cleaning training within their first three months.” |
The National Living Wage rose to £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from April 2026 [7]. Buyers increasingly expect bidders to show how wage rates, contracted hours and progression are protected over the life of a multi-year contract, not just at the start.
Social value checklist for cleaning bids
For buyers, the risk runs the other way: high-scoring promises that never materialise. PPN 002’s requirement to write commitments into the contract helps, but only if they are then managed. Ask bidders how they will evidence delivery and what happens if they fall short. Include social value KPIs in the regular contract review cycle. Our guide to outsourcing cleaning as a partnership covers how to structure that relationship.
Social value is part of how we run the business, not an add-on for tenders. Prime Facility Services is owner-managed, has more than 20 years’ experience, and employs local people from our Telford headquarters and Dudley office. We do not have a London or South East head office. Our accreditations include ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 (since 2010) and Safecontractor (since 2013).
These pages set out our commitments and the people behind them:
Our priorities are employment, training and skills for local people, contributing to our communities, staff engagement and retention, and operating as a net zero business. The plan aligns with Telford & Wrekin Council’s Social Value Policy and Shropshire Council’s Social Value Charter.
Digital cleaning audits and digital time and attendance tracking, which give buyers transparent records of service delivery.
At least 6 training days a year for every manager, plus long-service awards and bonus schemes, which support our 96% employee retention.
Local teams serving clients across Shropshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands.
What social value in a cleaning contract with us can include
A few measurable outcomes usually score and deliver better than a long list of promises that a cleaning contract cannot sensibly meet.
Talk to us about social value for your next cleaning tender
Call 0800 566 8894 or share your tender’s social value questions with us, whether you are buying or bidding.
In-scope central government organisations must apply a minimum 10% weighting of the total score to social value, or 10% of the quality score where absolute methods such as price per quality point are used.
The Procurement Act 2023 and the Procurement Regulations 2024 apply to procurements commenced on or after 24 February 2025.
PPN 002 applies to central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Other contracting authorities may choose to apply it, and many use the Social Value Model as a template.
It is a menu of social value outcomes, award criteria and reporting metrics published by the Cabinet Office. Buyers select relevant outcomes for each contract and score suppliers’ responses against them.
Yes. PPN 002 requires all social value commitments made during the procurement to be reflected in the contract as terms, key performance indicators or performance indicators.
The Social Value Model advises that where labour costs make up a large share of a contract, buyers should prioritise the Fair Work criteria. That makes fair work especially relevant to cleaning.
Typically local employment, training and skills, supply chain opportunities for small businesses, community engagement and environmental measures. Prime Facility Services’ Social Value Plan covers these priorities and aligns with Telford & Wrekin Council’s and Shropshire Council’s social value policies. Call 0800 566 8894 to discuss a contract.
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