Socially Responsible Public Procurement (SRPP)

Socially Responsible Public Procurement (SRPP) is the practice of using public contracting to achieve positive social outcomes alongside, or in addition to, purely commercial objectives. The European Commission's 2010 guide on SRPP and its updated 2021 guidance describe it as encompassing a wide range of social dimensions: employment opportunities for people at a disadvantage in the labour market, decent work and compliance with labour rights, social inclusion, accessibility and design for all, ethical trade, and broader respect for human rights in global supply chains.

What is Socially Responsible Public Procurement (SRPP)?

Directive 2014/24/EU provides a robust legal framework for SRPP. The key provisions are:

Technical specifications (Article 42). Buyers may require that goods and services meet accessibility standards (mandatory for ICT under the European Accessibility Act), minimum quality standards for care services, or specific social production conditions, such as requiring that manufactured garments comply with ILO core labour conventions.

Selection criteria (Article 58). Social and labour law compliance is required as a minimum condition: Article 57(4) permits exclusion of bidders who have been found to have violated social or labour law obligations. Positive selection criteria can include experience in delivering contracts with social benefit outcomes.

Award criteria (Article 67). Social value, quality of working conditions, support for disadvantaged workers, and social impact methodologies can be scored in the award evaluation, provided they are linked to the subject matter of the contract and disclosed in advance. In the UK, the Social Value Act 2012 and its associated Procurement Policy Note require central government authorities to explicitly evaluate social value, with a minimum 10% weighting on most contracts.

Reserved contracts (Articles 20 and 77). Authorities may reserve certain contracts for sheltered workshops (employing people with disabilities) or for social enterprises, mutual societies, and non-profit organisations providing health, social, or cultural services (the "light-touch regime" under Article 77). These reservations do not require equal treatment with all bidders, creating protected access for social economy operators.

Contract performance conditions (Article 70). Social clauses embedded in the contract can require the winning supplier to create apprenticeships, achieve a living wage for workers on the contract, employ a proportion of long-term unemployed or disadvantaged workers, and report on equalities outcomes.

SRPP intersects with Fair Trade in Public Procurement where contracts involve goods sourced from developing countries, and with Conflict Minerals Due Diligence and Deforestation-Free Supply Chain requirements where global supply chain integrity is at stake. The broader concept of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) integrates SRPP with environmental procurement objectives.

In the UK, social value requirements have become one of the most prominent features of central government procurement under the Procurement Act 2023, which requires all contracting authorities to have regard to improving economic, social, and environmental wellbeing through their procurement activities.

Why SRPP matters for bidders

SRPP criteria determine whether the social dimensions of your bid are scored or ignored. In the UK and in progressive European markets, failing to develop a strong social value narrative or to demonstrate labour rights compliance can cost significant award points or, in reserved contract scenarios, exclude you entirely. Conversely, suppliers with genuine social value programmes, verified ethical supply chains, and strong employment of disadvantaged groups gain a structural scoring advantage.

Understanding the SRPP landscape in your target market, including which social value themes are prioritised by different authorities, is a core element of bid strategy. Central UK government priorities under current Procurement Policy Notes include jobs and skills, health and wellbeing, community engagement, and equal opportunities.

Example

A Welsh county council issues a contract for grounds maintenance services. It reserves 10% of the award score for social value, specifically: employment of local long-term unemployed individuals (5 points), apprenticeship creation (3 points), and community engagement activities (2 points). A national contractor with a sophisticated social value programme, including partnerships with local job centres and an apprenticeship scheme, scores the full 10 points and wins a closely contested evaluation despite a slightly higher price. A contractor with no structured social value offer scores zero on this criterion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can social criteria apply to all types of contracts?

Social award criteria must be linked to the subject matter of the contract under Article 67 of Directive 2014/24/EU. A social value criterion is more easily linked to a labour-intensive service contract (cleaning, security, social care) than to a supply contract for a commodity good. However, even for goods contracts, supply chain labour conditions (for example, fair trade requirements for food products) can be linked to the subject matter and thus lawfully scored.

What is a "reserved contract" and who qualifies?

A reserved contract under Article 20 of Directive 2014/24/EU can be restricted to sheltered workshops, meaning organisations where the majority of workers are persons with disabilities who cannot exercise a regular occupation due to the nature or seriousness of their disability. Article 77 allows reservation of health, social, cultural, and related services contracts to social enterprises and non-profits, for up to three years per reservation.

How does SRPP differ from CSR?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a voluntary, company-driven commitment to social and environmental standards. SRPP is a buyer-driven policy that embeds social requirements in contract design and evaluation. A company with a strong CSR programme gains competitive advantage in SRPP-weighted procurements, but SRPP goes further by making social criteria binding through contract terms and enforceable through contract management, not just aspirational through company policy.