Lindsay Maguire Deputy Director for Procurement Reform Cabinet Office
5 Minutes with Lindsay Maguire
What does the Deputy Director for Procurement Reform at the Cabinet Office do, and how does social value fit into your role?
My role sits within the Government Commercial Function, which is part of the Cabinet Office. The UK Government spends about £300 billion a year, and we’re responsible for setting priorities, policy, capability, and capacity across procurement.
A big part of what I do is procurement reform. The regulations we currently use were originally EU directives, so when we left the EU we saw a huge opportunity to reshape them and make them work better for the UK. That includes making it easier for small businesses and making sure procurement is about more than just the lowest bidder.
This is where social value comes in - procurement is such a strategic enabler, and if we get it right, it can deliver real benefits for communities. It’s not just about getting that lowest price; it’s about thinking how what we buy impacts people and places.
If we’re letting contracts that are using taxpayers’ money, then those contracts have to be fairly solid, but they also have to deliver for the communities that they’re being provided in because that’s how we maximize the strength of that taxpayer pound.
How is procurement policy developed within the UK? Where does social value sit within that?
Procurement policy for central government is set by the Cabinet Office through something called Procurement Policy Notes (PPNs). These set out the rules and priorities that central government bodies have to follow but they don’t apply to local government, universities, or other public sector bodies, that’s where things get a bit more flexible.
Social value sits within what’s called the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS). Rather than putting lots of detailed requirements into law, the NPPS lets us set out strategic priorities that can change over time.
So social value is very much a key part of procurement policy, but rather than locking it into primary legislation, we’ve built in flexibility so we can adapt it to different government priorities.
Strategic procurement in action: The new Procurement Act prioritises social value, ensuring that government contracts deliver real benefits for communities while maintaining transparency and accountability.
What does the new Procurement Act mean for social value? What will the main changes be?
The Procurement Act brings in some big changes, but I think the most important one for social value is the move from Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) to Most Advantageous Tender (MAT).
I know that sounds a bit technical, but basically, it means we’re moving away from just focusing on price. That’s not to say price isn’t important, of course it is, we’re spending taxpayers’ money, but we’re saying value is more than just cost.
Another big change is around transparency. If a contract is over £5 million, the contracting authority will now have to publish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) so we can track how it’s performing.
And although social value KPIs aren’t mandatory, I think it makes sense that if a contract has a strong social value element, it could be measured and reported on properly.
🎙️Check out the related Podcast Episode:
Why was the implementation of the Act delayed?
The Act was originally meant to go live in October 2024 but then, of course, we had a general election. The previous government’s NPPS was ready to go, but the new government quite understandably wanted to align it with their own priorities before we go live.
What’s important to say, though, is that nothing in the core legislation is changing - the only thing that’s changing is the strategic priorities within the NPPS.
What are the new government’s plans for social value? Are there any plans to update the Social Value Model or make it apply to local government as well as central?
In terms of updating the Social Value Model, these are all things that we’re working through with the government about what that needs to look like, and no, it probably won’t apply to local government, but I think that’s by design because obviously local government, when they’re spending money, they’re accountable to their councillors and their chief execs.
I think the real opportunity here is sharing best practice, helping different sectors learn from each other, and making sure that capability and guidance around social value is strong.
Is consistency of evaluation something that policymakers are looking at?
It’s not easy. One of the big challenges is that measuring outputs (like how many apprenticeships were created) is fairly straightforward, but measuring outcomes and impact is much harder, especially if you don’t want to use a financial proxy value.
At the moment, departments are required to report SME spend, but there isn’t a single, mandatory set of social value KPIs that everyone has to track. That’s something that individual organisations need to consider carefully themselves.
And I know a real challenge for practitioners is about having consistency in measuring social value and measuring those outcomes. I think that’s where we’ll continue to see evolution and improvement over time.
How can we help
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