News & Opinion

The Government has announced the most substantial change to central government social value procurement since PPN 002 became mandatory. We examine what has been announced, what still needs clarification and how organisations can prepare.

Social value commitments are easy to make and hard to follow. SVE Connect is built for the stage after award, linking procurement teams and commissioners with their delivery partners so progress is visible, consistent and evidenced throughout the life of a contract or grant.

Social value data generated for procurement can support the finance, planning and reporting functions that determine how a housing association grows. This article explains how the same accredited evidence base connects sustainability-linked loans, planning obligations and ESG frameworks.

Output-counting, wellbeing valuation and SROI each carry different assumptions about how evidence is collected. We explain the differences and what to ask before committing to a platform.

Government guidance confirms that housing associations remain within scope of the Procurement Act 2023. We look at what the move to MAT, the public benefit duty and KPI publication mean for registered providers' procurement, finance and risk teams.

ICBs are being asked to commission more deliberately at the same time as they lose analytical capacity. We look at what the 2026 reorganisation means for how the NHS measures the value of what it buys.

April 2026 opens the shadow year for Surrey and a two-year preparation window for Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk. For VCSEs, the commissioning landscape is changing substantially, and the evidence base you need is changing with it.

The start of the new financial year in April offers a vital window for organisations to move from reactive to proactive social value.

Scotland's Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill will change what public bodies expect from the organisations they fund and contract with. For third sector organisations, that means new requirements around procurement practices, employment standards, reporting obligations, and strategic alignment with local economic development, going beyond better impact storytelling. This article explains what the Bill requires, where it connects to existing social value practice, and the practical steps organisations can take now to be ready for the procurement landscape it will create.

2025 has been a landmark year for the Social Value Engine, and we would like to start by thanking all our customers, partners and supporters for everything you have contributed over the past twelve months.

We are delighted to share that our co-founders, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, have won the Outstanding Impact award at this year’s Institute of Economic Development (iED) Annual Awards for their work measuring and maximising social value using the Social Value Engine.

From January 2026, charities preparing accruals accounts will need to follow updated accounting rules under Charities SORP 2026. The changes introduce a three-tier reporting system based on charity size, with new requirements for impact reporting that will affect organisations with income over £500,000. This article explains what's changing, why impact measurement is now part of the formal reporting framework, and what it means for charities of all sizes.