Wales Co-operative Centre has launched a consultancy service for enterprises looking to meet social value requirements – especially when bidding for large public sector contracts or investment.
Designed in consultation with the public and private sector, Social Business Connect will help organisations develop their supply chains to trade with the social business sector.
Lead consultant Rhian Edwards said: “The social business sector is the strongest and most diverse it’s ever been in this country, worth an estimated £2.4bn to the Welsh economy. However, there is still a perception that social businesses can’t deliver on the outputs required of these major public sector contracts. As the lead development agency for social businesses in Wales since 1982, we know this is a myth that needs to be put firmly to bed.
“Social businesses reinvest the money they make into their social or environmental cause, so they not only strengthen an organisation’s CSR credentials when bidding for major contracts – they also help them meet the social value requirements of important policy and legislation, like the Well-being of Future Generations Wales Act.”
Social Business Connect tailors its approach to each organisation, taking them through five phases: establishing baseline, overcoming barriers, identifying suppliers, making it happen, and measuring and promoting.
Ms Edwards added: “Wales Co-operative Centre’s unrivalled access and in-depth knowledge of the social business sector puts us in the perfect position to facilitate this trading relationship. If this unique consultancy service takes off as we expect it to, we have a real opportunity to increase the social and environmental impact of procurement and scale up the social business sector in Wales.”
Antonia John, business development and corporate social responsibility manager at Encon Construction UK, said: “While we are pleased with the positive social impact we are having within the communities we operate, the benefits would be even greater if we increased our trading relationship with social businesses in Wales.
“The challenging part for Encon and other like-minded businesses in the industry is identifying the areas of our supply chain which social businesses can fulfil. Having a service like Social Business Connect that can provide us with exclusive access and knowledge of the sector, will help us enormously when it comes to achieving our social and environmental objectives.”
