Welcome to the Journal.

A year of building Social Value in practice By the time December rolls around, it’s tempting to reduce a year to a handful of metrics. Numbers are neat. They give the impression of clarity. But anyone who works in Social Value knows the real story is rarely that simple. This year, more than anything else, […]

“One mother had to use a shopping trolley to take her child to a medical appointment.” In January 2024, Birmingham PlayCare Network launched its Safe Sleep Scheme with Thrive Together Birmingham, Spurgeons and Barnardo’s to give families cots and Moses baskets. While working on that project, their Business Development Manager, Emma Martin, realised the need […]

Pemberton Green Spaces and Radius Security Ltd dig in. What started as a pitch at our online event has blossomed into something special. In late April, we hosted a briefing event for our partners in the North West. We gathered local businesses, VCSFE’s and public sector representatives to celebrate successes, share tips, and look ahead […]

We’re incredibly proud to announce that Match My Project has won the Social Value Award at the 2025 UK National GO Awards in Liverpool! The GO Awards are widely regarded as the most prestigious event in UK public procurement, celebrating excellence, innovation, and impact across the public sector and its supply chains. For over 20 […]

We try to be transparent and straightforward. For example, last week we shared our product update for Match My Project. The new product features we’ve just shipped and what we’re working on is out there for the whole world to see. As we were doing this, some ‘disinformation’ about Match My Project came to light […]

We all know that managing Social Value takes time…  From finding out what community organisations need, to getting suppliers involved, to tracking delivery – it all adds up. Many authorities dedicate hours, even days, every week to Social Value administration. Our conversations with public sector partners have highlighted this challenge repeatedly. We’ve heard many a […]

Are you delivering Social Value that is genuinely impactful? Social Value is a great opportunity to strengthen local communities. And local community organisations know what their communities need better than anyone. From our conversations with our public sector partners, we know they agree with us. But so often Social Value feels untargeted – sometimes driven […]

It’s one thing getting suppliers to commit to Social Value – and another for them to deliver it Over the years, Social Value has suffered from what we call the ‘credibility gap’.  That’s the difference between rhetoric and reality.  Or… what suppliers promise to deliver at tender stage and what they deliver in contract mobilisation.  […]

We’re excited to highlight Purdy Contracts Ltd—our top-performing supplier on Match My Project for May. A member of the Kinovo Group, Purdy is a trusted provider of mechanical, electrical, building services, and renewable energy solutions. They joined the platform through Hyde Housing and have demonstrated exceptional commitment to delivering meaningful social value. Their impact so […]

We’re celebrating 1000 matches on Match My Project.  While the impact of 1000 projects is impossible to quantify, we’re toasting to this milestone by sharing some outstanding projects and organisations on Match My Project 1. One business that completed 57 projects on Match My Project  Alphatrack Systems, a fire and security systems specialist, is #1 […]

62 organisations supported. 57 projects completed. 186 hours delivered. Alphatrack Systems, a fire and security systems specialist, is #1 on two Match My Project leaderboards – Hyde Housing and Hackney Giving – and for good reason. What resources is Alphatrack Systems providing to local communities? To name a few: It’s not just the numbers saying […]

We had a fantastic launch last week in Cambridge. Thanks to the Cambridge City Council team for getting the project up and running and for the launch itself.  Cambridge is known as an innovation centre. In the past, Match My Project has been called innovative. But matching up businesses with community projects to deliver Social […]

Something special is growing in the concrete heart of London. In Islington, one of England’s most densely populated boroughs, access to nature isn’t always a given.  In fact, 71% of residents lack access to a private garden. But a local charity, The Garden Classroom (TGC) is fighting back at this stat. The Garden Classroom connects […]

The Rotary Club of Chichester Harbour has completed 36 projects and worked with 17 suppliers through Match My Project.  As a community organisation on Hyde Housing Association’s Match My Project site, they’ve completed more projects through the platform than any other organisation. Rotary Chichester Harbour has been providing wrap-around support to the Chichester community for […]

Are you a supplier or local business keen to support your community? The Match My Project platform is an online marketplace where community organisations and groups can ask for help for their projects from our supply chain. Local companies can also post their jobs and free resources on the platform. Here are some tips and […]

Here are some things to think about when posting projects and using Match My Project. When signing up for an account, DO… When posting a project, DO… During project matching, DO… …DON’T Additional things to consider Top Tips based on Feedback from Businesses using MMP Scenario 1 (Example taken directly from supplier): A community organisation […]

How Match My Project is helping create collaborative and creative spaces for local communities Fierce Festival is a festival of theatre, performance and experiences which takes place in and around Birmingham every two years. This year, Fierce matched with Birmingham City University on Match My Project.  From this collaboration, the perfect home for a specially […]

At Match My Project, we celebrate businesses that step up to create meaningful jobs and training opportunities in their communities – and Ridge & Partners is a shining example of this commitment in action. Ridge & Partners, a Built Environment Consultancy, recently partnered with the Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN) through Match My Project to […]

Today is World Mental Health Day. Why celebrate Mental Health Day? Mental health matters, today and every other day.  According to mental health charity Mind, 2 million people are currently stuck on waiting lists for NHS mental health services.  Mental health stigma is a significant issue. People are being left behind by a broken mental […]

We recently heard from Ruth Martin, work placement coordinator at The Hive College, about how Match My Project has been helping her source opportunities for young people with disabilities in Birmingham. I’m Ruth, I’m from The Hive College. We are an outstanding, according to Ofsted (and ourselves), college in Erdington North Birmingham. We offer courses […]

Deliver the best Social Value in Your Communities with Match My Project. How can you make a bigger impact? What if you could boost your business by transforming your social engagement? Match My Project is here to help you take your Social Value delivery to the next level. Read our top 5 tips for suppliers. […]

The amount of vacancies due to skills shortages in England more than doubled between 2017 and 2022, from 226,500 to 531,200.  At Match My Project, we’ve been tackling this problem through our Pathways to Work feature,  which gets people from underserved communities into work and training by facilitating partnerships between community organisations and businesses. We’re […]

Ridge & Partners, a Built Environment Consultancy with eleven locations across the UK, recently signed the Care Leaver Covenant. The Covenant is a promise made by the private, public and voluntary sectors to advocate for care leavers aged 16-25. As part of their pledge, Ridge agreed to offer twelve work experience opportunities to care leavers […]

Are you making the most of Match My Project? Find out from Match My Project’s most prolific community beneficiary how to maximise the resources available on the platform. They’ve given their top 5 tips for community-based organisations. I spoke to Rachel, the Assistant Head of Henry Fawcett Primary School, the most active community organisation on […]

What is the relationship between social responsibility, the tech industry and product development? I recently posed this question to Ruth, the Product Lead at Match My Project.   Her answer got me thinking.  This is what she said: “Technology – we’ve seen through social media – can be quite divisive at times and it can demand […]

For far too long, the job market has been dominated by outdated hiring practices prioritising certain demographics and overlooking qualified individuals from underrepresented communities.  Conventional hiring criteria tend to favour candidates with traditional educational and professional backgrounds, excluding those with non-linear career paths. Unconscious biases in the recruitment process have also limited the opportunities available […]

In an era where businesses are increasingly held accountable to contribute to societal progress, opportunity creation is a powerful strategy for driving inclusive growth and Social Value. Our new jobs and training feature is here, and it’s making opportunities more accessible for local communities and businesses alike. Businesses today are expected to do more than […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the workplace and raising concerns about the future of entry-level jobs. As businesses adopt AI technologies like chatbots, robotic process automation, and machine learning, many routine and repetitive tasks traditionally performed by humans are being automated. This has significant implications for young people entering the job market and those in lower-skilled roles. For businesses committed to creating work and training opportunities for local people, understanding and addressing these implications is crucial.

As more and more organisations sign up to Match My Project, an important question is – how does Match My Project work alongside the National TOMs? The National TOMs framework is a set of financial proxies that provides a financial value for Social Value requirements – often specified in government tender documents.  They were introduced […]

Liz is the Head of Communities and Social Value at the Breyer Group, a leading property services provider that has been working with the public sector for over 60 years. We’ve been collaborating with Liz and her Community and Social Value Manager, Bobby Lorraine for the last couple of months and wanted to share what […]

Social value is an increasingly popular concept that refers to the positive impact a company has on society and the environment, beyond its financial performance. It measures the wider benefits created by an organisation, including social, economic, and environmental impacts, rather than just the profits it generates. In this blog post, we will delve deeper […]

Tell us a bit about your role at Kinovo – what’s a typical day like for you?  I am the Marketing and Social Value Manager at Kinovo Group, which consists of specialist property services contractors, Dunhams, Purdy and Spokemead, so there is always a variety of different jobs to complete, and no day is ever […]

As companies step up to take more significant roles within their communities, businesses are turning to new ways of prioritising social value and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Understanding their differences is crucial for businesses to carve out their purpose and successfully execute the same.  Social Value vs CSR: Definition and Scope It’s time we clearly […]

Supplier of the month: Novus Property Solutions Grown from family beginnings with the Seddon brothers George and John, Novus Property Solutions has spent 128 years building a national reputation as an award-winning, leading specialist in the construction and maintenance industry — all while staying firmly rooted in the family values of integrity, respect, loyalty for […]

At the start of November, Oxford City Council welcomed more than 30 local organisations at Oxford Town Hall for a Match My Project networking event designed to strengthen connections between businesses and community groups for Social Value collaboration. Setting the Scene: Why Match My Project Matters The event opened with Oxford City Council’s Head of Economy, City Centre […]

In mid-November, the Match My Project team headed down to South London to take part in Croydon Council’s Procurement Act and Social Value event and to celebrate the official launch of their Match My Project platform — another win for connecting communities. The session spotlighted the Procurement Act 2023 — which gave a greater share of public sector […]

Supplier of the month: McConnell Established in 1929, McConnell provides refurbishment, planned maintenance, retrofit, energy efficiency, cladding, and fire remediation services for public and private sector clients across the UK. As an accredited and quality-assured Principal Contractor, McConnell takes overall control of the construction phase of complex, multi-contractor projects, bringing experience, confidence, and commitment to […]

Thirteen Group Launch: Our first initiative in the North East Thirteen Group is a housing association that provides around 100,000 people in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber region with homes, support and opportunities to grow. In mid-October, we attended the Thirteen Group launch event in Middlesbrough, alongside Julie Hollins and Cheryl Hodds from Thirteen, as well as […]

Our October Supplier of the Month, Greenmount Projects, is an award-winning, turnkey design, construction and maintenance company based in the North West. That means they take full responsibility from concept and design through to construction, finishing and handover – making them a comprehensive end-to-end partner. Sounds impressive, right? But look a little closer and you’ll […]

The sky was blue on the day we visited Nottingham, and the outlook for cross-sector collaboration across the East Midlands was equally bright. We were delighted to attend the official launch of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) Match My Project site in early September. The launch marked an important milestone for both the […]