How We Deliver Social Value
At BetterGov, social value is about making a positive, lasting difference through the work we deliver for the public sector. We focus on practical, proportionate actions that help organisations strengthen capability, deliver better outcomes for citizens, and use public money responsibly.
Our approach to social value is grounded in how we work day‑to‑day. This page explains how social value is delivered in practice and sits alongside our formal Social Value Policy, which sets out our statutory commitments, governance arrangements and organisational principles.
Our Approach
We embed social value into delivery rather than treating it as a standalone activity. This means we:
- Align social value activity with client objectives and service outcomes
- Focus on actions that create genuine, long‑term benefit
- Tailor our approach to the scale, location and nature of each engagement
Our work is informed by the UK Government’s Social Value Model and relevant public sector legislation. Social value is always delivered in a way that is realistic, measurable and appropriate to the context.
What Social Value Means at BetterGov
- Building Skills, Capability and Opportunity
We support employment and skills development through our core work in digital, data and transformation. This includes:
- Developing early‑career, returner and career‑transition talent
- Providing structured mentoring, coaching and knowledge transfer
- Building sustainable capability within client teams to support long‑term improvement
Our focus is on leaving organisations stronger and more capable than we found them.
- Supporting SMEs and Diverse Suppliers
Where it adds value, we work collaboratively with small, specialist and independent suppliers. Our approach includes:
- Fair and transparent supply‑chain practices
- Supporting SME capability through collaborative delivery
- Engaging innovative suppliers to complement our own expertise
This supports healthy local and specialist markets while delivering high‑quality outcomes for clients.
- Community Contribution and Volunteering
We contribute to communities primarily through skills‑based activity aligned to what we do best. This includes:
- Supporting education providers, charities and community organisations
- Providing mentoring, coaching or pro‑bono expertise where it has the greatest impact
- Encouraging employee‑led volunteering, supported through company time and sponsorship
Our focus is on activities that create meaningful benefit rather than one‑off or publicity‑driven initiatives.
- Equality, Diversity and Wellbeing
Better outcomes are delivered by inclusive, healthy and engaged teams. We are committed to:
- Inclusive recruitment and development practices
- Flexible and supportive ways of working
- Creating respectful, psychologically safe environments for our people and our clients
These principles underpin how we work internally and how we engage with our clients.
- Environmental Responsibility
As a consultancy, our environmental impact is primarily linked to how we operate rather than physical assets. Our approach includes:
- Remote‑first and low‑travel delivery models wherever possible
- Responsible procurement and supplier selection
- Continuous improvement in how we manage and reduce our environmental footprint
We align our approach with our wider sustainability commitments and keep our environmental impact under regular review as our business evolves.
Working in Defence and Sensitive Environments
Where we support Defence, national security or sensitive public sector environments, our approach to social value:
- Respects operational, security and confidentiality requirements
- Prioritises ethical practice and responsible delivery
- Focuses on skills, innovation and long‑term capability
We avoid publicity‑driven commitments and ensure social value activity never compromises operational priorities. Social value is always appropriate to, and agreed within, the context of the work.
Measuring and Evidencing Social Value
We focus on social value that can be evidenced in proportion to the contract and delivery context. Where required, we provide qualitative and quantitative evidence aligned to client priorities and bid commitments.
Our approach avoids inflated claims and focuses on social value that has been genuinely delivered and can be demonstrated through delivery insight, reporting or outcomes.
Governance and Accountability
Social value at BetterGov is supported by clear governance and leadership oversight, including:
- Senior leadership ownership of social value
- Clear accountability within delivery teams
- Ongoing monitoring and review to support continuous improvement
Learning from delivery is fed back into policy, delivery practice and future bids to strengthen our approach over time.
Our Commitment:
“We are committed to delivering credible, meaningful social value through the work we do every day strengthening public services, supporting people and communities, and contributing to positive social and environmental outcomes.”
For clients and partners who require more detailed information, a fuller Social Value Delivery & Commitments Statement is available on request.
