Procurement Strategy and Social Value Policy Development
Client Context
Warwickshire County Council (WCC) sought to modernise its procurement function and strengthen its commitment to social value. Recognising the growing importance of procurement in delivering both financial and non-financial outcomes, the Council commissioned a new Procurement Strategy aligned with the Public Procurement Act and its corporate priorities. Alongside this, WCC aimed to embed social value more consistently across all contracts and investment decisions, reflecting its ambitions as a place-based anchor institution.
Our Approach
We worked with Warwickshire to develop a new Procurement Strategy and Social Value Policy that reflected best practice, local ambition and statutory expectations.
Procurement Strategy:
Conducted review of existing strategy and policy landscape, including contract standing orders, financial regulations and relevant corporate plans.
Engaged wide range stakeholders through interviews and workshops with senior managers, procurement leads, commissioners and legal.
Analysed the Council’s operating model and assessed current procurement maturity against national benchmarks.
Facilitated iterative working sessions to test and refine the strategy, building shared ownership of its aims, principles and enablers.
Ensured alignment with emerging procurement legislation, corporate priorities and the Council’s transformation programme.
Social Value Policy:
Built on WCC’s existing commitment to community benefit, supporting the development and refinement of a Social Value Policy, which was previously formally approved.
Helped define WCC’s bespoke understanding of social value and articulate seven strategic objectives to be delivered through commissioning, investment and organisational decisions.
Supported the implementation of Social Value TOMs (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) across procurement activity.
Introduced a policy requirement for all contracts above threshold to include a minimum 10% social value weighting, ensuring structured and consistent application.
Developed practical guidance to support rollout and began engaging wider teams to embed the policy corporately.
Outputs and Outcomes
Through a co-designed approach, Warwickshire County Council now has:
A clear, modernised Procurement Strategy setting out principles, priorities and delivery enablers to support compliant, value-led and outcome-focused procurement.
An approved Social Value Policy that defines the Council’s ambitions and formalises its expectations across procurement and investment decisions.
A consistent framework for applying TOMs methodology, with clear evaluation criteria and organisational readiness for implementation.
Increased awareness and engagement across the organisation, laying the foundations for wider cultural adoption of social value thinking.
The combined work has strengthened WCC’s ability to drive financial, social and environmental outcomes through procurement and positioned the Council to lead by example as a responsible commissioner and anchor institution.
About Us
Human Engine is a leading management consultancy with specialisms in strategy, transformation, digital, commercial, procurement and projects.
Founded in 2018, we have partnered with more than 50 local authorities, central government, NHS organisations and national charities to help transform their strategies, operations and cultures.
Our mission is to help individuals and organisations to do the best work of their lives. We do this by blending first-hand, practical experience of the problems we help our clients solve with award-winning consulting expertise and an approach based on trust, collaboration and partnership.