Driving Social Value through meaningful partnerships with the VCSE Sector

Webinar highlights and key takeaways for Bid Managers and Social Value Leads

The APMP UK Social Value Committee recently hosted a thought-provoking webinar exploring how businesses can partner more effectively with the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector to deliver meaningful social value through bidding and delivery. With panellists from Recruit for Spouses, St Giles Trust, Onside Advocacy, and McLaren Applied, the discussion offered a rich mix of lived experience, sector insight, and practical advice.

If you missed the session, this blog distils the core messages into key lessons and action points.

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1. Understand the gap: Most VCSEs deliver Social Value, but don’t speak the language

A significant theme from Emily Harshar (Recruit for Spouses) was the gap between what VCSEs do and how they articulate it within a procurement framework. Many already deliver powerful outcomes but may lack familiarity with procurement-specific language, frameworks (like TOMS and the UK Government Social Value model), and how social value is scored.

Action: VCSEs should familiarise themselves with frameworks such as:

• PPN 06/20 and PPN 01/21 (public procurement policy notes) and PPN002/25, which will replace PPN 06/20 in October this year. 
• The numerous standards, models and frameworks available for measuring social value, such as the TOM System

Business partners can help by translating these requirements and supporting the development of measurable impact statements, ideally mixing qualitative storytelling with quantitative data.

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2. Businesses often misunderstand the VCSE Sector

Neil Kirk (McLaren Applied & Onside trustee) emphasised that businesses frequently approach VCSEs with a transactional mindset, often driven by short-term bid needs. However, VCSEs are purpose-driven organisations, typically more interested in long-term social change than short-term profit. Businesses must approach them as equal partners, not just as subcontractors.

Action:

• Invest time in building long-term relationships well before bids go live.
• Align on values, goals, and mutual benefits.
• Avoid the last-minute scramble to “find a partner” for a tender response.

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3. What makes a partnership work? Honesty, alignment, and ongoing dialogue

Jacob from St Giles Trust made it clear: good partnerships are built on collaboration, trust, and shared values—not paperwork alone. Both sides need honest conversations upfront and throughout delivery. And these conversations should happen long before a bid deadline.

Action:

• Create a “social value partner map” and nurture a network of potential collaborators.
• Establish regular check-ins, even when not bidding.
• Treat social value as a strategic asset, not just a compliance requirement.

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4. Support capacity building—not just with funding, but with skills and time

Kathy from Onside raised an important point: while funding is always helpful, many VCSEs struggle more with capacity, especially in areas like data analysis, bid writing, or digital engagement.

Rather than one-off team volunteering days, businesses should consider micro-volunteering, mentoring, or trustee roles. Think skills-sharing and strategic support, not just donation drives.

 Action:

• Offer your team’s professional expertise (e.g., finance, legal, data, marketing) in a structured, ongoing way.
• Support VCSE staff with training, mentoring, or wellness support.
• Offer long-term “Charity of the Year” partnerships, not just one-off engagements.

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5. Data is the gamechanger—but it’s also a bottleneck

A shared frustration was the challenge many VCSEs face in reporting meaningful data. Commissioners often ask for cost-benefit analysis, but many charities don’t have the resource or technical know-how to provide it consistently.

Action:

• Help VCSEs measure outcomes—not just outputs.
• Co-develop simple, repeatable reporting tools and templates.
• Offer support with data collection, visualisation, and analysis (many charities can’t afford a data analyst but desperately need one).

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6. Case studies: what good looks like

Two partnerships stood out as excellent case studies:

• Recruit for Spouses + QinetiQ: QinetiQ funded a series of workshops in the northwest to support military spouses into employment. The result? Empowered participants, clear impact reporting, and bid-ready social value content for QinetiQ’s future tenders.
• St Giles Trust + Corporate Partners: When a commissioner asked for community gardening hours in a hospital-based project, St Giles diverted the request to their corporate partners—allowing their staff to focus on frontline delivery while still meeting social value requirements. Creative thinking and proactive networking made the difference.

 Action:

• Use case studies to demonstrate proven models of impact.
• Capture the quantitative outcomes (e.g. number of lives improved, cost savings to public services) and the qualitative human stories.
• Build social value into delivery plans and future bids.

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7. Top tips for bid managers and writers

The session concluded with each panellist offering their golden tip for bidding professionals:

• Don’t focus on numbers alone. Weave in the human story and show tangible outcomes.
• Demonstrate additionality. Social value must go beyond business-as-usual.
• Think proportionally. Don’t overpromise to win the bid—offer what’s feasible and meaningful.
• Network with VCSEs year-round. Create a diverse bank of partners you can collaborate with based on service and geography.

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