YPO has recently published its social value strategy and agenda, which does resonate with us at Excel. We like their focus on the importance of having a relevant and approach to social value according to the specific local requirements of the commissioning local authority and their community.

We also welcome YPO’s understanding of the complexity of the enforcement agent’s role beyond collecting debt: gathering debt information, identifying and signposting vulnerability and advising authorities of safeguarding concerns.

The report says that when procuring services of an enforcement agent, the weighting should focus on outcomes for the local authority’s customers. According to YPO and CIVEA a good social value question is:

• Tailored specifically to the local authority’s priorities
• Covers economic, social and environmental components
• Requests details of how the commitments will be achieved and request evidence of delivery elsewhere to ensure commitments are realistic
• Incorporates the monitoring/reporting/KPI element which ensures a degree of accountability

This aligns with the intent of the Social Value Act 2012 which was explained by its author, former MP Prof. Chris White, as: “We mean ‘value’, not in its narrow (financial) sense but in its true sense – recognising the importance of social, environmental and economic well-being across our communities and in our lives.”

You can download the full document here: