ISV Member Voices

Lewis English, Underpin Consultants

Shh. I have a secret to tell you. Every big business right now is doing charity partnerships, apprenticeships, local hiring, community investment, the whole lot. There’s ESG, CSR, and Social Value. But medium and small businesses? Not so much.

As a Business and Charity Consultant, I see a gap. Small and medium organisations already deliver significant Social Value but aren’t capturing, measuring, or communicating it in a way that helps them win work. The activity exists. The strategy doesn’t.

The Procurement Act 2023 has changed the stakes. Under the new Most Advantageous Tender framework, buyers can weigh Social Value more heavily than ever. For contracts over £5 million, Social Value is mandatory. This is not guidance, like Judge Dredd, it’s the law. And it means the 10% Social Value weighting that appears in most public tenders, often the precise margin between winning and losing, carries real teeth.

But wait, this is just a public sector thing, right?

Good news, Social Value is not just a public sector lever. It works in three directions, public sector, private clients, and supply chain.

The first is obvious: winning public contracts. Most shortlisted bidders are close on price and technical quality. Social Value is where differentiation happens. But only if your offer is structured against the TOMs framework, evidenced with real outcomes, and aligned to what the specific buyer cares about. And remember, generic promises score poorly, and evidenced, tailored commitments score well.

The second is private sector differentiation. Private clients, particularly those with ESG reporting obligations or sustainability targets, increasingly expect their supply chain to reflect those commitments. When two suppliers are broadly similar on price and capability, the one that can demonstrate genuine community impact and environmental responsibility wins. Why? Because it strengthens the client’s own reporting position and reduces their risk.

The third is Principal Contractors on large projects. They need Social Value to win their own bids. Under the Procurement Act, they are evaluated on what their entire supply chain delivers. If you’re a subcontractor that can quantify its Social Value contribution, using either real-world examples, or delivering TOMs’ proxy values, with evidenced outcomes, you become more than a delivery partner – you become a strategic asset.

No longer are you providing a service. You are helping the contractor win.

That third channel is where I see the biggest untapped opportunity. Most subcontractors are not having this conversation with their principal contractors. Which means anyone who starts it now has a significant first-mover advantage.

There’s no better way to set yourself apart.

Lewis English is the founder of Underpin Consultants, a consultancy working with businesses and purpose-driven organisations on Social Value strategy, business development, and growth.

By Catherine Manning

Programme Director, MeasureUp
Head of Impact Practice, Impact Reporting
Social Value International Trustee

 "Children are not the people of tomorrow, but are people of today."

- Janusz Korczak

That quote has stayed with me throughout the development of our MeasureUp for Kids toolkit. It captures something we instinctively know but don't always reflect in how we measure social value: children's wellbeing matters now, not just as an investment in future outcomes.

Children's wellbeing is distinct from adults' in important ways. It shifts rapidly as they grow, is acutely sensitive to transitions like starting secondary school, and is shaped far more by family relationships, friendships and school experiences than the income and employment factors that tend to dominate adult wellbeing analysis. This means the way we measure and value it needs to reflect those differences.

The scale of need in the UK makes this feel increasingly urgent. Around 1 in 5 children and young people have a probable mental health disorder. Between 10 and 16% of 10–17-year-olds report persistently low wellbeing. Nearly 950,000 children were referred to CAMHS in a single year, many waiting months or receiving no support at all. Across communities, schools and public services, there are people working hard every day to address this, and many of them are being asked to evidence the value of what they do.

This is where social value practice has a gap worth addressing. The challenge isn't a lack of data about children's wellbeing - there's actually a rich evidence base. The challenge is translating that data into reliable valuations. Wellbeing valuation has largely been built on adult life satisfaction measures, which simply aren't appropriate for children under 10. Without an alternative, organisations working with younger children have often had to rely on imperfect proxies, or leave impact unquantified altogether.

That's what led us to develop MeasureUp for Kids, with generous support from Michelle Baker, Technical Director for Social Value and Stakeholder Engagement at AtkinsRéalis. Launched this month, it's the UK's first freely available children's wellbeing valuation toolkit - aligned with HM Treasury Green Book guidance and drawing on the emerging C-WELLBY methodology, alongside indirect measurement approaches for younger age groups. The toolkit includes an example estimator, impact pathway mapping worksheet, case studies from BWB Consulting and Liverpool Cathedral, and a full test and validation report documenting our assumptions transparently.

It's a starting point, not a final answer. Children's wellbeing economics is still a developing field, and we've tried to be honest about where uncertainty remains. But we hope it gives social value practitioners, charities and commissioners something practical and credible to work with - helping frontline organisations make stronger cases for the programmes that genuinely make a difference to children's lives.

It's a starting point, not a final answer. Children's wellbeing economics is still a developing field, and we've tried to be honest about where uncertainty remains. But we hope it gives social value practitioners, charities and commissioners something practical and credible to work with - helping frontline organisations make stronger cases for the programmes that genuinely make a difference to children's lives.

If you work with children and young people, or support organisations that do, the toolkit is free and available now at measure-up.org. Have a go with the example estimator, or download the action checklist to see how it might apply to your context.

As Legacy Strategies marks its 10th year in business, it provides an opportunity to 
reflect on not only our organisational growth, but also our evolving role of social value 
within modern business practice.



Over the past decade, social value has moved from being viewed as an “added extra” to 
becoming an integral part of how organisations operate, deliver projects and build 
relationships with the communities around them.

At Legacy Strategies, social value has always been central to our approach. Since 
founding the business in 2016, we have supported a variety of organisations to design 
and deliver initiatives that create meaningful outcomes for communities and the local 
economy.

Alongside this work, we endeavour to ensure our own business reflects the same 
principles through our Social Investment Fund, supporting charities, community 
organisations and grassroots initiatives across the region.

Over the years, this has included supporting organisations working on a range of 
priorities across a number of communities. We have provided regular food bank support 
to various organisations in Southend, alongside sponsoring their Charity Gala, We 
worked with the Hamelin Trust, contributing donations through our Social Investment 
Fund and volunteering time to support practical activities such as refurbishing furniture.
Our team has also organised and supported fundraising activities for causes including 
Prevent Breast Cancer, Safe Steps, and Fowler’s Syndrome UK, as well as volunteering 
within the community for organisations such as Marie Curie and TrustLinks. These 
experiences reinforce the value of long-term partnerships with local charities that 
understand the needs of their communities.

Beyond charitable support, social value has also been reflected through education and 
employment initiatives. Members of our team have supported local schools and young 
people through activities such as careers advice with the Greater Essex Careers Hub, 
speed networking and mock interview events with secondary schools and CV 
workshops in partnership with local Job Centres.

Initiatives like these have taught us a wider lesson through our work: that organisations 
who genuinely prioritise social value often develop stronger and more lasting 
relationships with their clients, partners and the communities in which they work. When 
social value is embedded authentically within their organisational culture, it becomes a 
natural part of how their businesses operate rather than simply a reporting or bid
requirement.

To mark our 10th anniversary, we wanted to further extend our commitment by
launching our “10K for 10 Years” initiative. Through this initiative, £10,000 in grant 
funding will be given back to support community organisations, social enterprises and 
individuals creating positive local impact.

Reflecting on the past decade, one message stands out clearly: social value is most 
powerful when it is collaborative, locally rooted and delivered through long-term 
commitment.

As the social value agenda continues to evolve, we look forward to continuing to 
support organisations in embedding meaningful social value while ensuring our own 
business contributes positively to the communities we serve.

Because ultimately, social value is about more than individual initiatives, it is about 
creating a lasting legacy for the people and places around us