Samtaler - The Social Value Agency

Samtaler - The Social Value Agency Empowering organisations to put social value at the heart of their business.

Take our Quick Social Value Assessment to pinpoint and prioritise your Social Value functions - https://samtaler-frl7qol7.scoreapp.com

Social Value Idea Lab: committing to the Real Living Wage This idea might sound like an easy or obvious one, but we do m...
07/09/2026

Social Value Idea Lab: committing to the Real Living Wage

This idea might sound like an easy or obvious one, but we do meet organisations that have not quite pinned it down yet.
Paying the Real Living Wage, and becoming accredited by the Real Living Wage Foundation comes up a lot. It's important for many different Social Value Themes, including Fair Work; Employment, Skills and Pay; Supply Chain Resilience; and Equal Opportunities.

The Real Living Wage is separate from the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, which are set by the Government and are a legal requirement. The Real Living Wage is voluntarily paid, and is adjusted each year based on the real cost of living to ensure that employees can cover essential living costs (rent, food, bills and more). Many forget that the wages set by the government are often not enough to support people, even when working full-time or multiple jobs.

That's why the Real Living Wage is needed and many local and central government organisations/departments now expect suppliers to pay the Real Living Wage as standard.

Yet, not everyone is accredited because it can feel like a big commitment particularly for small and medium‑sized organisations. We'd encourage all organisations to pursue accreditation. If you aren't accredited, paying the Real Living Wage and creating an action plan toward accreditation, is something you can commit to on a contract level as part of Social Value.

What does it mean in practise?
- Paying the Real Living Wage for all employees, including entry‑level roles, apprentices and work placements.
- It means committing to annual pay increases linked to the cost of living, which can feel uncertain.
- It means having a clear plan to move contractors towards being paid the Real Living Wage, not just your directly employed staff.
- The Real Living Wage rate is higher in London, reflecting the higher cost of living, which needs to be factored into workforce and contract planning.

Midweek Round-Up: Social Value Jobs 🌱Here's your useful weekly dose of Social Value job opportunities from across the UK...
02/09/2026

Midweek Round-Up: Social Value Jobs 🌱

Here's your useful weekly dose of Social Value job opportunities from across the UK:

🚀 Social Value Manager - JRL Group 🔗 https://bit.ly/4zTU1Cc

🚀 Social Value Coordinator - Fawkes & Reece 🔗 https://bit.ly/4ybQM78

🚀 Social Value Manager - Willmott Dixon 🔗 https://bit.ly/3UMarfC

🚀 Social Value/Responsible Business Advisor - Ryder Reid Legal 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wYXCvS

🚀 Social Value Manager - Henry Martin Group 🔗 https://bit.ly/4y5daz2

🚀 Social Value Manager - Regen Solutions 🔗 https://bit.ly/4g5sq95

🚀 Social Value Coordinator - Methods 🔗 https://bit.ly/45ZT8u6

🚀 Social Value Manager - JG Hale Group Ltd 🔗 https://bit.ly/46yc5Ed

🚀 Responsible Business Specialist - Browne Jacobson 🔗 https://bit.ly/4x0VfJ4

🚀 Social Value Delivery and Bid Manager - Cognizant 🔗 https://cogniz.at/4zM1Yco

🚀 Social Value Manager - Tarmac 🔗 https://bit.ly/46pgYiS

📢 Do you know someone perfect for one of these? Tag them below

Social Value Idea Lab: Work Ready Club We love when organisations use local partners (VCSEs or SMEs) to support delivery...
31/08/2026

Social Value Idea Lab: Work Ready Club

We love when organisations use local partners (VCSEs or SMEs) to support delivery of social value commitments.
From a delivery perspective, you are handing it over to an expert with an acute knowledge of the local needs and intricacies of local communities.

From a bidding perspective, working with partners helps demonstrate a realistic delivery model and evidence, offering evaluators more confidence in a response.
Where organisations struggle to evidence previous delivery of employment or skills initiatives, scoring potential can be limited. This is where a delivery partner can play a critical role in strengthening your Social Value response, as they will bring evidence of delivery experience.

One example is sponsoring a charity or VCSE to deliver a Work Ready Club for young people in the contract area. National partners, such as Onside, bring proven scale and evidence. Match this with local providers for even more impact. Many contract areas already have a local youth or VCSE organiastion doing this work. It's worth checking for a strong, local provider, then consider proven models (like Onside) as collaborators and co-delivery partners. These programmes typically focus on individual personal development and employability, helping young people build the skills and confidence needed to move closer to work.

If you are being asked to evidence how skills commitments will be delivered, partnering with an organisation that already works with young people locally can significantly strengthen both your bid and your delivery confidence.

Trying to get your head around the new Social Value Model?The Samtaler team has created a simple one-page summary to hel...
26/08/2026

Trying to get your head around the new Social Value Model?

The Samtaler team has created a simple one-page summary to help you quickly see what's changed, what the priorities are, and what it could mean for suppliers.

📄 Feel free to save it, share it with colleagues, and use it as a quick reference guide.

If you find resources like this useful, sign up to the Samtaler mailing list for practical insights, guides and updates on social impact, sustainable procurement and social value. https://bit.ly/3CN78vY

💡 We aim to make complex policy changes easier to understand and apply in practice.

Midweek Round-Up: Social Value Jobs 🌱Here's your useful weekly dose of Social Value job opportunities from across the UK...
26/08/2026

Midweek Round-Up: Social Value Jobs 🌱

Here's your useful weekly dose of Social Value job opportunities from across the UK:

🚀 Social Value Manager - Tarmac 🔗 https://bit.ly/46pgYiS

🚀 Social Value/Responsible Business Advisor - Ryder Reid Legal🔗 https://bit.ly/4zLlF4f

🚀 SOCIAL VALUE COORDINATOR - Spencer Building and Civils🔗 https://bit.ly/4hPLZDH

🚀 Social Value & Community Manager - Hill Group UK 🔗 https://bit.ly/4hPs2wO

🚀 Community Impact Manager - Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales🔗 https://bit.ly/4gfnbnq

🚀 Bid & Social Value Manager - P&P Builders 🔗 https://bit.ly/4hVJWy4

🚀 Community Benefits Lead - Scottish Power 🔗 https://bit.ly/4y8txet

🚀 Impact Evaluation Lead (Fixed Term) - University of Cambridge 🔗 https://bit.ly/4cLGXEP

🚀 Social Value and Early Careers Advisor - NUVIA 🔗 https://bit.ly/4qE1SiZ

🚀 Environmental & Social Manager - Allen & York 🔗 https://bit.ly/4qzFQO9

🚀 Trainee Social Value & Community Coordinator - Hill Group UK 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wL7uJL

📢 Do you know someone perfect for one of these? Tag them below

Social Value Ideas Lab: Prompt Payment One of the most impactful things you can do to support a diverse supply chain, is...
24/08/2026

Social Value Ideas Lab: Prompt Payment

One of the most impactful things you can do to support a diverse supply chain, is to pay your suppliers promptly.

For SMEs, VCSEs and sole traders, cash flow is vital for growth and survival. Late payment is estimated to cost the UK economy £11 billion every year and 38 businesses close each day because of cash flow issues linked to late payment. Business owners also spend an average of 86 hours a year chasing overdue invoices. It is a genuine supply chain diversity enabler helping business resilience, invest in growth and participate in public sector supply chains.

Public sector buyers are already required to include 30-day payment terms in contracts and ensure these terms are passed down through the supply chain. The UK Gov backed Fair Payment Code, awards Gold status to businesses that can evidence paying at least 95% of all invoices within 30 days.

Typically, slow payment is not caused by poor intent, but complex approval processes or administrative barriers which delay invoices unnecessarily. We would encourage businesses to speak to suppliers and examine their payment processes and look for possible barriers to prompt payment. Is there a system or portal which causes payment issues for suppliers?
Some organisations are able to make commitments to even prompter payment terms for sole traders and SMEs of 7-14 days or less, making a huge difference.

We recently explored this topic on our podcast with Emma Jones, UK Small Business Commissioner, who shared why prompt payment is one of the most effective ways organisations can strengthen their supply chains and support small businesses.
🎧 Listen to our podcast with Emma Jones here: https://bit.ly/4nlkyCe

Midweek Round-Up: Social Value Jobs 🌱Here's your useful weekly dose of Social Value job opportunities from across the UK...
19/08/2026

Midweek Round-Up: Social Value Jobs 🌱

Here's your useful weekly dose of Social Value job opportunities from across the UK:

🚀 Social Value Coordinator - Vistry Group 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wuVQTb

🚀 Social Value and Early Careers Advisor - NUVIA 🔗 https://bit.ly/4zpfy5e

🚀 Product Manager, Social Value - BT Group 🔗 https://bit.ly/3Sdg7yu

🚀 Social Value Manager - Regen Solutions 🔗 https://bit.ly/4g5sq95

🚀 Social Sustainability Manager - Kier Group 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wx6Ije

🚀 Social Value Manager - Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE) 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wCMNQa

🚀 Responsible Business & Social Value Manager - Capsticks LLP 🔗 https://bit.ly/4fpLIod

🚀 Senior Social Value Advisor - Laing O'Rourke 🔗 https://bit.ly/3TzMxDK

🚀 Social Value Manager - Wates Group 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wAKAob

🚀 Social Value Coordinator - Fawkes & Reece 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wuOI99

🚀 Customer Liaison and Social Value Lead - M Group Water 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wy3UlS

🚀 Social Value Coordinator - Methods 🔗 https://bit.ly/45CzQdZ

🚀 Consultant / Senior Consultant – Health & Social Value - Stantec 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wvKrCj

🚀 ESG Data Analyst - Silverstone 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wy3X12

📢 Do you know someone perfect for one of these? Tag them below

Social Value Ideas Lab: helping to reduce domestic abuseThe newest addition to the Social Value Model (PPN 002), 'influe...
17/08/2026

Social Value Ideas Lab: helping to reduce domestic abuse

The newest addition to the Social Value Model (PPN 002), 'influencing staff, suppliers, customers and communities to help reduce domestic abuse', has left many organisations unsure where to start. If that’s you, you’re not alone.

A strong and practical starting point is the introduction of a Domestic Abuse Policy, supported by clear workplace safety provisions. This is not only relevant to this new outcome, it can also form a meaningful part of your Gender Pay Gap Action Plan and your approach to Fair Work.

At its core, a good policy focuses on safety, dignity and consistency. It is important to adopt a trauma-informed, victim-focused approach. Many organisations are building this into delivery by:
- training HR teams, line managers and safeguarding leads to understand trauma responses
- ensuring policies avoid victim blaming and prioritise safety and dignity
- providing safe and confidential reporting routes for domestic abuse, harassment or stalking
- introducing a named safe contact officer for staff experiencing abuse
- giving managers clear internal guidance on how to respond empathetically and appropriately
- including provision in workplace risk assessments and operational planning such as lone working or travel late at night

Not sure where to begin? Partnering with experienced organisations can help. Hestia, The Survivors Trust, SafeLives, and Fear Free are just a few doing vital work in this space. As well as locally-based organisations with invaluable local networks, like the regional branches of Womens' Aid across the UK.

Introduction of a Domestic Abuse Policy demonstrates clearly a commitment to supporting vulnerable colleagues, and can be discussed across many Social Value themes including Fair Work, Health & Wellbeing, Inclusion, and reducing the risks of Domestic Abuse.

Back from holiday tomorrow? Here's the one update you might have missed... 👀While many people were enjoying a well-earn...
16/08/2026

Back from holiday tomorrow? Here's the one update you might have missed... 👀

While many people were enjoying a well-earned summer break, the Cabinet Office published a new Social Value Model (PPN026).

If social value, procurement, bids, ESG, HR, skills, employment, community investment or public sector contracts are part of your world, it's worth taking a look.

To save you reading through the detail, we've pulled together this simple visual summary of what we know so far, including:

✅ The new 20% weighting requirements
✅ The simplified framework structure
✅ The shift towards jobs, skills and opportunities
✅ New reporting expectations
✅ What guidance is still to come

Feel free to save and share the graphic with colleagues who may have missed the announcement over the summer.

As always, we'll continue to break down the changes and what they mean in practice as more information is released.



📩 Follow Samtaler and sign up for practical, plain-English updates on social impact, responsible business, social value, sustainable procurement, environmental sustainability and more.

https://bit.ly/3CN78vY

One thing I'd urge a little caution on with the new Social Value Model:We've seen the framework, but we haven't seen the...
14/08/2026

One thing I'd urge a little caution on with the new Social Value Model:

We've seen the framework, but we haven't seen the full picture yet. There's already plenty of commentary on what the changes mean. The reality is that a lot of the detail we're all looking for is still to come.

Questions remain around:
• The Community Programmes List
• Detailed sub-criteria and evaluation approaches
• How some of the new concepts will work in practice
• The supporting guidance expected in the autumn

The new model is important. But the guidance will be just as important.

We'll be tracking developments and sharing practical updates as more information becomes available. Sign up here to receive the latest updates as soon as we have them 👇 👇 👇 👇 👇

https://bit.ly/3CN78vY

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