Evaluating social value in the UK construction industry

A comparative study of contracts tendered in England, Wales and Scotland was conducted to determine the impact of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 (‘the Act’) on public sector construction contracts. This paper builds on the literature review paper already published by the authors, which set out to define what social value means in the context of public sector works in the UK and under the Act, by assessing the impact on public sector procurement in the UK. A broad method of measurement for social value in public sector construction contracts is developed before reviewing published contracts (tendered and awarded) on the Official Journal of the European Union website. The study has found that the Act has had little impact on England, where social value was already being considered; however, there has been a significant increase in attempts to incorporate social value associated with construction projects in both Wales and Scotland.