‘Less is more’ – Leeds firms offered tips to win local NHS work

Businesses in Leeds hoping to win contracts to supply the local NHS should adopt a “less is more” approach when writing bids around social value, an expert has said.

Alastair Clay, the sustainability and social value manager within NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative, said that vital social value elements within procurement bids were often too vague or unrealistic.

His NHS organisation covers 42 health trusts in the north of England, including Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Social value accounts for around 10 per cent of a health service procurement bid, and can be the section which makes or breaks a successful submission for a contract.

He was speaking to the ‘Let’s talk social value’ podcast, run by social value agency Samtaler.

During the podcast, Mr Clay discussed what businesses should do to appeal to those deciding on the outcome of their bid.

He also pointed out that more than half of successful businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and that environmental sustainability was the most important topic that most decision-makers look for in a social value section.

Speaking on the podcast, Alastair Clay said:

“One of my biggest things is less is more.

“The more you submit, the more you have to evaluate, the more you have to contract manage, and the more likely the social value is to fall down.

“Keep the word count low – if you’ve been given 1000 words don’t feel like you have to fill it. Don’t waffle.

“The first thing I will always look at is fighting climate change.

“That’s why I would encourage suppliers delivering works, goods or services, where is the impact on the environment? Think about it as an organisation – what commitments can I make as part of this?

“You can be proactively thinking about your social value now, and your submissions now, to build up a bank of solutions you’ve got to submit, rather than waiting for the tendering exercise.

“And going back to less is more, I’d rather the supplier commit to something they could realistically do rather than saying we’ll change the world.

“There are four golden words that I always focus on.

“Additionality – am I answering this question in a way that provides additional commitments, outside the core deliverables I’m doing?

“Relevancy is the second one – I often see suppliers answering with what they can do rather than what’s being asked.

“Proportionality – will the supplier actually be able to deliver this? It goes back to less is more.

“The last word I would ask suppliers to focus on is measurability. Can they measure this commitment themselves? Because contract management is often where I think social value is likely to fall down.

“So if you focus on those four words when you’re writing your submission it’ll go a long way to making it easy to evaluate, easy to contract manage, and therefore more likely to be delivered.

“Social value is a real opportunity for the NHS and everyone to be passionate about what benefits we can seek here collaboratively with suppliers.

“Social value is a mission that we all can seek to enact and deliver.”

Sarah Stone, director of Samtaler, said:

“Alastair Clay offered invaluable insight as part of this podcast for businesses of all sizes in Leeds hoping to win NHS work.

“The reality is, if you’re tendering for work and have a great social value element, it could be the difference between winning and losing a contract.

“Billions of pounds are up for grabs when it comes to contracts with the NHS in the north of England, and these rules apply right across the UK public sector too.

“I would advise anyone hoping to work with the NHS to listen to Alastair’s contribution to the podcast and take on the excellent advice of someone who knows best.”