Business - Journal

Top Five Tips for Suppliers

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.

We believe in the power of Social Value to transform lives and communities. That’s why we build technology that enables organisations to do just that. And we’re always thinking about ways to make that impact as meaningful and as far-reaching as possible.

Over the past few months, Laura from the Match My Project team has spoken to Social Value experts across the UK about their remarkable work. She asked them how businesses can be more responsible and make a bigger impact in local communities.

This is what she found out.

Here are the top 5 things suppliers can do to deliver better Social Value:

Offer longer, incentivised work placements

I’d like to see more longer periods of work experience, but incentivised … we need to invest in these young people and show that we’re investing in them by incentivising them.
– Phillipa Wilkinson, Post-16 Lead at the Stockport Virtual School

Show that you are invested in the future of young people and their development. Longer placements give participants more time to learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully to your organisation.

Incentives could include paid positions, performance bonuses, or opportunities for permanent employment upon successful completion. This shows a genuine investment in developing talent and can lead to a more diverse and skilled workforce.

Take advantage of Pathways to Work

This Match My Project feature is designed to streamline the process of connecting job opportunities with local communities. Utilise it to post apprenticeships, entry-level positions, and training programs. The platform can help target specific demographics or areas, ensuring your Social Value efforts reach those who need them most.

I would like to see more willingness from our contractors and suppliers to think creatively about ensuring employment and training opportunities that they committed to within their Social Value tenders or pledges. And ensure that these are followed through and delivered in areas where [the contracting authorities] have customers and communities … More could definitely be done to use the platform, especially the new features that Match My Project has launched, and link these opportunities to our customers.
Emma Needham, Social Investment Specialist at Onward Homes

Learn more about Pathways to Work here.

Create early opportunities for work placement candidates to familiarise themselves with the work environment before starting.

Starting a new job is scary. Especially when it’s your first time in a professional work setting.

Laura Perry from Ridge and Partners, a built environment agency with eleven locations across the UK, offers a brilliant solution to this obstacle: allow placement candidates to come into the office before they start working there. This allows them to familiarise themselves with the space, the people who work there, and the journey they will take to work.

In Laura’s words:

I recommend meeting with the placement student beforehand. That helps to make them feel more relaxed and I think it can make the organisation feel a bit more relaxed as well. You both know each other, you both know what to expect. [I recommend] visits to the workplace before starting so that they can journey to and from because it can be quite overwhelming if they are not used to travelling to a city centre in rush hour. And it helps the other teams be aware as well of someone else who might be coming in if they want to speak to them, or perhaps they are interested in a certain discipline.

Ridge and Partners recently matched with the Stockport Care Leavers Team to facilitate a successful work placement for a care-experienced individual. Read the inspiring story here.

Consider the whole supply chain.

Try to think about the whole end-to-end process.
Amy Holbrook, Bid and Responsible Business Manager at PH Jones (British Gas).

Transforming your supply chain for Social Value creation might involve:

Partnering with social enterprises or B-corps for supplies and services
Supporting local businesses in your procurement processes
Encouraging your suppliers to adopt their own Social Value initiatives

Amy Holbrook from PH Jones explained the broader social impact that transformations to the supply chain can have. She told me about a project PH Jones completed to illustrate this.

PH Jones worked with building merchant chain Jewson to paint the L6 Centre, a charity they connected with through Match My Project. The paint used for the project was from Paint360, a social enterprise that re-engineers waste paint back into brand-new paint and employs ex-offenders. Not only was the L6 centre repainted, but, through this project, PH Jones was able to champion a socially and environmentally sustainable cause.

This approach demonstrates how considering the entire supply chain can multiply the Social Value impact of a single project.

Commit to the long run. Transform from within.

True Social Value isn’t about one-off gestures or short-term projects.

It’s about embedding a commitment to social responsibility deep within the fabric of your organisation. This approach requires a fundamental shift in how businesses view their role in society, moving from occasional charitable acts to a consistent, integrated approach that aligns social impact with business objectives.

What does this look like practically? Here are some ideas:

Include Social Value objectives in your company’s strategic plan
Provide training on Social Value to all employees
Celebrate and reward Social Value achievements internally

Take it from two businesses that exemplify an authentic, embodied form of Social Value:

Don’t keep flashing money around for Social Value. That’s probably one of my biggest frustrations. It’s not about all the financial money. Yes, it’s nice to give a token gift of money. But it’s not – it’s the longevity, it’s the hours. Really buying into what you’re doing. You know, be emotionally invested in Social Value, because the impact it does have is massive.
Andrea Ratcliffe, Business Development & Bid Manager at Connolly Ltd

You can’t do Social Value if it’s not embodied in your business … You’ve got to start at the heart of it, which is your business and your people.
Laura Perry, Social Value Project Consultant at Ridge and Partners

By integrating Social Value into your core business practices, you can create a meaningful impact in your communities while also benefiting your organisation through improved reputation, employee engagement, and stakeholder relationships.

Social Value isn’t just about what you do—it’s about who you are as an organisation.

The experts we’ve heard from throughout this blog have demonstrated that true Social Value is embedded in every aspect of business operations. It requires a holistic approach that encompasses everything from work placements and supply chain considerations to long-term organisational transformation.

But don’t just take our word for it. Take a deeper dive into these insights and hear directly from the Social Value experts themselves.

Watch this exclusive video to gain valuable insights, practical tips, and inspiration to take your Social Value delivery to new heights.

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 to people of colour, women, and other marginalised groups. And the heavy reliance on narrow networks and referral-based hiring has created a lack of diversity within many organisations.

The result is a workforce that fails to reflect the rich diversity of our communities – a missed opportunity for businesses to access quality talent and fuel innovation.

This is where Match My Project’s new Pathways to Work feature comes in. By serving as a bridge between businesses and community-based organisations, Pathways to Work provides a gateway to connect companies with talented professionals from local talent pools.

Pathways to Work: Technology as a Bridge Between Communities

Through community-driven referrals, Pathways to Work aims to promote accessibility and economic resilience in previously overlooked communities. This represents a true win-win scenario – businesses gain access to a broader range of qualified candidates, while community members are empowered with new opportunities to become part of the workforce.

“Pathways to Work is about using technology as a bridge, not a barrier, to fostering human connections and uplifting communities,” explains Zahra, the Delivery Manager at Match My Project. “We know it’s those human connections that really make the difference and move us forward.”

By tapping into the rich diversity of local talent, businesses can gain a significant competitive edge. They’ll be able to build more innovative, well-rounded teams that reflect the customers and communities they serve. And in the process, they’ll be investing in the long-term resilience of those very communities.

It’s time to rethink traditional hiring practices and embrace the power of diverse talent. With Pathways to Work, Match My Project is making it easier than ever for businesses to access untapped pools of quality candidates – and boost their success in the process.

Pathways to Work is only the beginning.

We have lots of new features set to launch in the coming months. Watch this insightful conversation with our Product Lead, Ruth, on what you can expect from the Match My Project Team.

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.

The AI Disruption

AI technologies, including automation, machine learning, and robotics, have significantly transformed traditional job roles across industries.

Routine tasks once performed by entry-level employees are now increasingly automated, leading to concerns about job displacement and unemployment. Entry-level positions in sectors such as manufacturing, retail, and administrative services have been particularly affected by AI-driven automation. AI-powered systems and algorithms are gradually replacing jobs involving repetitive tasks, data entry, and basic customer service.

Challenges and Opportunities

While the rise of AI poses challenges for entry-level job seekers, it also presents opportunities for businesses committed to creating Social Value in their communities.

A study by PwC estimates that AI could boost GDP in local economies by up to 26% by 2030.

Rather than replacing humans entirely, AI often augments and enhances human capabilities, allowing workers to focus on more value-adding activities. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, analytical thinking, creativity, and flexibility will be among the top skills sought by employers. By embracing AI responsibly and strategically, organisations can create new pathways for employment and skill development.

Five guidelines for promoting sustainable and empowering employment practices in the context of AI:

Reskilling and Upskilling Initiatives: Invest in reskilling and upskilling programs to equip entry-level workers with the necessary skills to adapt to the changing job market. Training initiatives focused on digital literacy, problem-solving, and critical thinking can help individuals thrive in AI-driven workplaces.

Job Redesign: Instead of eliminating entry-level positions altogether, businesses can redesign roles to complement AI technologies. This involves restructuring job tasks to leverage human creativity, emotional intelligence, and decision-making capabilities, areas where AI currently struggles to match human expertise.

Collaboration with Educational Institutions: Learning structures must diversify and evolve to keep pace with the changing needs of the workplace. Collaboration between businesses and educational institutions is essential for preparing future generations for AI-dominated workplaces.

Job Creation in Emerging AI Fields: While AI may disrupt certain entry-level roles, it also generates new job opportunities in emerging fields such as data science, cybersecurity, and AI development. Businesses can contribute to job creation by investing in these high-demand areas and providing training and employment opportunities for aspiring professionals.

Be Transparent: Maintain open communication and dialogue with current and prospective employees about how AI could change their roles, and provide support during transition periods.

Future Pathways

By taking a responsible and proactive approach, we can harness the potential of AI to create positive societal impact, new types of jobs, and expanded opportunities for workers of all skill levels. The future of work will require adaptability and lifelong learning, but an AI-powered economy could be more productive and inclusive if we plan ahead.

At Match My Project, we are determined to help businesses create employment and training opportunities that are responsible, empowering, and prosperous for themselves and the community. That is why we’ve developed a feature that allows businesses to find top talent while making a real difference for local jobseekers and organisations.

Unveiling our new “Pathways to Work” features – creating employment opportunities with local communities

At Match My Project, we’ve always believed in the power of connecting businesses with local communities to create positive social change. Today, we are thrilled to introduce our latest endeavour – “Pathways to Work“… groundbreaking features that redefine how businesses contribute to Social Value while empowering local talent.

More Social Value means more opportunity

Our customers in the public sector, particularly at the local level, are focused on creating apprenticeships and work placements.

These organisations, councils and housing associations – for example, are using Social Value to ask their suppliers to create new apprenticeships and work opportunities for local people.

But it’s not always easy creating these local opportunities. The data shows that only 1.5% of the UK’s 4.4 million employers are taking on apprentices. This number needs to change if our economic prospects are to change.

Finding local people to fill your apprenticeships and work placements can be a struggle

MatchMyProject is an award-winning platform that matches suppliers and businesses with good local community projects.

The platform was recognised by the Chartered Institute for Procurement and Supply (CIPS) as last year’s Best Initiative to Deliver Social Value through Procurement (for our work with Birmingham City Council).

The platform is a source of local community organisations – plugged into local networks, across local politics, and aware of local problems. MatchMyProject gives access to these organisations to suppliers and businesses looking for opportunities to deliver Social Value in their localities.

We are now introducing features which enable you to advertise apprenticeships and work placements that can be easily matched with local people.

You will be able to upload opportunities and receive candidate referrals from local community partners and, for the first time, self-referrals from individuals.

Posting your opportunity will be a quick process, with almost exclusively multiple choice questions, which has the added benefit of making opportunities easy to filter and sort for those accessing them.

And you’ll be able to manage all of this in one place.

JOIN US FOR THE LAUNCH EVENT!
To celebrate the launch of “Pathways to Work,” we invite you to join us for a special event on March 6th. Network with like-minded businesses, hear success stories, and witness the impact this feature can have on both businesses and communities. Sign up here!

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 differentiate between Social Value and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). To do that, we have to define both concepts before heading into their scopes.

Social Value is all about the benefits to society that a business creates beyond its main objective. It’s the value that the company adds to society in terms of education, employment, and social welfare. Social value initiatives aim to provide solutions to societal problems.

CSR, on the other hand, is a broad concept focused on incorporating social and environmental awareness into a company’s operations. It’s a way of being accountable to stakeholders and involves taking responsibility for the social and environmental impact of business operations.

The scope of Social value initiatives lies mostly outside the company, as the goal is to tackle societal issues. On the other hand, CSR focuses on internal changes to make the company more socially responsible while still maintaining its business objectives.

In summary, Social Value is external while CSR is Internal. Social Value initiatives aim to provide solutions to societal problems, while CSR initiatives look to incorporate social and environmental awareness into the company’s operations.

Key Differences between Social Value and CSR

The primary focus of social value is on creating positive outcomes for the society and the environment, while CSR aims to ensure that businesses conduct themselves ethically while balancing the interests of all stakeholders.

Social value initiatives can lead to long-lasting and meaningful changes in a community, providing values and positive outcomes that align with the company’s broader goals. Whereas CSR measures the company’s impact on society, the economy, and the environment and the steps a company will take to address those impacts.

Moreover, social value initiatives are likely to affect the day-to-day operations of the company, and the business owner must be willing to accept the changes that will arise. In contrast, CSR is more focused on mitigating negative impacts that a company may have on the society or the environment. In CSR, a company explores ways to balance the business’s goals with the positive outcomes sought by stakeholders.

Stakeholder engagement is another critical difference between the two. Social value initiatives prioritise addressing the needs of specific stakeholder groups to alleviate social issues in the community. CSR, on the other hand, involves a general group of stakeholders and focuses on implementing best practices to improve the overall sustainability of the company.

Implementation is another key element that distinguishes social value from CSR. Social value initiatives require hands-on, direct involvement from the company in its efforts to foster positive change in the community. In contrast, CSR is more of an indirect process mainly involving audits, reporting, and providing a code of conduct to employees.

Lastly, the consistency in outcome evaluation reports. Social value initiatives tend to measure success based on tangible outcomes such as social stability, availability of jobs, education, and a better environment. On the other hand, CSR initiatives focus more on sustaining the balance between the company’s success and its societal impact, often done through assessments and audits.

Businesses that prioritise meaningful and lasting change can leverage social value initiatives, while those focused on balancing ethics and profit can use CSR to guide their strategies. It’s essential to understand how both concepts interact to make fact-based decisions that will maintain long-term relevance within the community.

Examples of Social Value and CSR Initiatives

The phrase “doing well by doing good” is the essence of social value initiatives. Companies engage in social value creation to make a positive impact on society, while also bringing benefits to their business, such as increased brand reputation and customer loyalty.

One example of social value creation is promoting environmental sustainability. Companies can reduce their carbon footprint and waste production, conserve natural resources, and shift towards renewable energy sources. By doing so, they not only contribute to a cleaner and healthier planet but also save costs in the long run.

On the other hand, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives go beyond social value creation and prioritise ethical and moral values in business conduct. CSR can encompass various aspects, such as philanthropy, human rights, diversity and inclusion, and supply chain ethics. For instance, a company may establish a foundation that supports education in low-income communities, donate a portion of their profits to a charity, or ensure that their suppliers adhere to fair labour practices.

CSR initiatives can improve the company’s reputation and attract employees and customers with higher ethical standards. Both social value and CSR initiatives have their benefits and can inspire positive changes in the world. The key point to remember is that while social value creation focuses on creating a positive impact on society, CSR encompasses all aspects of ethical business conduct. Companies that truly care about social impact often combine both approaches to make a meaningful difference.

To enhance your social value, join MatchMyProject and connect directly with local community organisations to collaborate on impactful projects.

A chance to ‘earn and learn’; apprenticeships are a vital part of post-pandemic recovery and all of our public sector partners are demanding them: have a look here at how we’re helping at Match My Project

Businesses are already playing their part in creating apprenticeships. According to the latest government data, 572,210 people are currently enrolled on apprenticeships covering 170 industries.

But the challenge is considerable.

The UK economy is to contract 0.6% this year. Apprenticeships have been identified as catalysts for growth as we recover from the pandemic and enter a post-Brexit labour market.

More Social Value means more apprenticeships

Our customers in the public sector, particularly at the local level, are focused on creating apprenticeships and work placements.

These organisations, councils and housing associations – for example, are using Social Value to ask their suppliers to create new apprenticeships and work opportunities for local people.

But it’s not always easy creating these local opportunities.

The data shows that only 1.5% of the UK’s 4.4 million employers are taking on apprentices. This number needs to change if our economic prospects are to change.

Finding local people to fill your apprenticeships and work placements can be a struggle

MatchMyProject is an award-winning platform that matches suppliers and businesses with good local community projects.

The platform was recognised by the Chartered Institute for Procurement and Supply (CIPS) as this year’s Best Initiative to Deliver Social Value through Procurement (for our work with Birmingham City Council).

We are now introducing features which enable you to advertise apprenticeships and work placements that can be easily matched with local people.

You will be able to upload opportunities and receive candidate referrals from local community partners and, for the first time, self-referrals from individuals.

And you’ll be able to manage all of this in one place.

PRO TIP: In the coming weeks we’ll be launching these new features. If you want to see a 2 minute preview of these new features, please let us know here and we’ll send it out right away.

We haven’t ever heard a corporate buyer or contracting authority actually say this, but suppliers could be forgiven for thinking it…

It’s not always easy to find and work with a local community organisation to deliver your Social Value.

Yet, it is a fact that businesses are increasingly being asked to go the extra yard.

And we’ve known for some time that business ‘does its bit’.

Fortune Global firms spend around $20 billion a year on CSR activities (Meier and Cassar 2018), while more than 90% of the 250 largest companies in the world produce an annual CSR report (KPMG 2017).

Some businesses have community partners they have been working with for many years. And many do a lot of unseen and unrecognised work in their local communities.

Now, businesses in the UK have to think about Social Value.

Under law, you can be asked to create ‘Social Value’

When businesses tender for work with the UK Government, they can be asked to create Social Value above and beyond what is being asked for in the contract tender specification.

Importantly for businesses, Social Value is becoming a determining factor in how government contracts are awarded.

We are seeing government organisations ratcheting up the weighting in their tenders to 20%.

Bear in mind the UK government spends up to around £280 billion each year in the private sector: getting Social Value right will make a difference to your bottom line.

Government is increasingly looking at their Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations as ideal vehicles for Social Value.

This makes a lot of sense – for the community, for businesses and for government.

Think about it for a moment

Not every business understands what a local community needs. But businesses have resources and have good reasons to contribute.

On the other hand, local VCSE organisations are part of the local fabric of a community. They know where the big challenges are and how to unlock these problems in a way that no one else does. They have all the local knowledge, but lack resources.

Putting business together with local community organisations is a win-win, and government is increasingly asking for this.

Take a look at this great collaboration between community and business in Manchester.

But what we’ve discovered is that not every business can find a community project they are able to support. It might be that the range of projects don’t fit with your area of expertise. Or maybe they are too costly.

We went out and did some research. The results were pretty clear:

76% of the businesses we spoke to wanted the option to post their own resources on MatchMyProject.

It might be that you are ready for new laptops for your team, and have some pretty good second-hand ones to share?

Or someone in your company has some spare volunteering time to offer?

Or do you need to find local residents to fill your apprenticeships and work placements?

Then you should sign up to MatchMyProject.