Thousands of UK government suppliers risk falling foul of new procurement rules — unless they can comply with both the old and new social value models.
Procurement Policy Note 002 (PPN 002) has now become the mandatory standard for all new central government tenders — replacing previous rules and requiring a new approach to designing and assessing social value.
While thousands of existing contracts will continue under PPN 06/20, suppliers must now manage and report against two sets of requirements simultaneously — creating a compliance challenge across the market.
Thrive has now launched the only measurement framework and platform designed to meet this challenge from day one. Its enhanced Impact Evaluation Standard (IES) fully incorporates the requirements of both PPN 002 and PPN 06/20, enabling contractors and bid teams to switch seamlessly between models at the touch of a button.
Rob Wolfe, Managing Director, Chy Consultancy and Impact Evaluation Standard Steering Committee Member, explained: “PPN 002 sets a higher bar for social value in procurement. Suppliers will need measurement frameworks that not only incorporate the rules but drive better behaviour and make compliance practical. Thrive’s Impact Evaluation Standard is the first solution we’ve seen that addresses both the old and new requirements from day one.”
The Impact Evaluation Standard is widely regarded as the UK’s most credible and independent reporting standard for measuring social value because it is:
- Developed by an independent committee of experts, including one of the co-authors of HM Treasury’s Green Book and the Social Value Model.
- Built from the ground up to incorporate government procurement rules.
- Underpinned by the latest Office for National Statistics and government data sources, going well beyond the other frameworks which rely more heavily on the Unit Cost Database figures.
- Allows custom-built metrics to be combined with bespoke corporate reporting.
This marks the first time a UK measurement framework has been fully refreshed to incorporate both legacy and new government procurement rules. With annual public procurement expenditure in excess of £300bn, Thrive now offers suppliers and contractors a future-proof solution.
This October release introduces:
- 36 new metrics directly developed from PPN 002 requirements.
- A new framework structure aligned to the government Missions for clarity and usability.
- Platform enhancements allowing Thrives thousands of users to switch between PPN 002, PPN 06/20 and many other frameworks, instantly.
Neil Macdonald, CEO of Thrive, said: “From today, suppliers must manage both PPN 002 and legacy PPN 06/20 contracts. Without the right measurement framework, that dual reporting burden risks delays or even lost bids. The updated Impact Evaluation Standard gives them a clear, compliant way to meet both requirements.”