Social value for construction tenders

Apprenticeships and traineeships

Apprenticeship commitments are the most frequently scored social value measure in construction tenders. Buyers expect specific numbers — not a promise to "support training opportunities" — and they expect those numbers to be realistic relative to contract size and duration. A two-year refurbishment programme delivering two construction apprenticeships is credible. Twelve apprenticeships on a six-month internal fit-out is not. National TOMs values each new apprenticeship at £13,500 per year, making quantification straightforward when the commitment is genuine.

Traineeships and work experience placements are scored separately and carry their own proxy values. A one-week work experience placement is valued at £200 under National TOMs — a smaller figure, but worth including where your programme genuinely supports it, particularly when you can name the school, college, or training provider involved.

Local labour and supply chain engagement

Many local authority buyers include a specific measure for the proportion of contract spend directed to local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) or for employment opportunities created for local residents. This is one area where vague commitments are most likely to be challenged: "we will endeavour to use local suppliers" is not a commitment. A commitment is: "We will direct a minimum of 25% of subcontract spend to businesses registered within the [authority] boundary, measured quarterly and reported to the contract manager."

Where the framework specifies a local employment measure, each new employment opportunity created for a local resident — defined as someone living within the buyer's geographic area — is valued at £12,654 under National TOMs. This makes local employment a significant contributor to your total social value figure on larger contracts, and worth quantifying precisely rather than leaving as a narrative statement.

Considerate Contractors Scheme alignment

Membership of the Considerate Contractors Scheme (CCS) is increasingly referenced in construction social value responses as evidence of a structured approach to community impact, site safety, and environmental management. Some buyers score CCS registration directly; others treat it as supporting evidence for broader commitments around community liaison, noise and dust management, and site neighbour engagement. Either way, registration alone is not a social value commitment — it needs to be linked to specific on-site actions and outcomes your team will deliver on this contract.

Environmental and carbon commitments

Net zero targets and carbon reduction commitments now appear in the majority of construction social value questions, driven partly by PPN 06/20's inclusion of net zero as one of its five evaluation themes. The most credible responses quantify the avoided emissions — tonnes of CO₂ — rather than referencing policies in the abstract. If your fleet is transitioning to electric, that is a quantifiable commitment: the number of vehicles, the projected miles driven on this contract, and the emissions avoided versus the equivalent diesel fleet. Carbon emissions avoided are valued at £69 per tonne in HM Treasury's Green Book guidance, making this a calculable line in your social value total.

Community liaison during build phases

For site-based contracts in residential or high-footfall areas, buyers often expect a structured approach to community communication — advance notice of noisy works, a named site contact for neighbours, and participation in local forums or resident meetings. These commitments don't carry a direct proxy value under most frameworks, but they function as supporting evidence for broader social impact claims and signal to evaluators that your organisation has considered the lived experience of those affected by the build. They are worth including in the narrative even where they don't add directly to the quantified total.