Social Value Policy

Introduction

1.1 ODEIS Limited (“ODEIS”, “we”, “us”, “our”) recognises that the way we conduct our business, select our suppliers and deliver our Services can generate positive benefits for society and the environment that go beyond the immediate scope of any single contract.

1.2 We subscribe to the principle of “shared value”: the idea that what is good for society can simultaneously be good for business. Genuine social value is not philanthropy or a side commitment — it is a strategic lens applied to how we do business, who we work with, and how we structure and deliver our client engagements.

1.3 This Social Value Policy sets out our approach to creating social value, in support of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 and the social value priorities adopted by our public sector clients, including the missions and outcomes reflected in the Cabinet Office’s Procurement Policy Note 002 (PPN 002) Social Value Model, which became mandatory for in-scope central government procurements from 1 October 2025 and superseded the previous PPN 06/20 model.

1.4 Social value is not ‘business as usual’. It presents genuine opportunities for ODEIS to deliver more, build stronger supply relationships, demonstrate our values in practice and contribute to the communities in which we and our clients operate.

Our Social Value Framework

2.1 ODEIS’s approach to creating social value operates across four complementary levels, drawing on established social procurement practice:

2.2 These four levels are mutually reinforcing. As ODEIS grows, we intend to develop our approach at each level starting with the areas where we can demonstrate the most credible and measurable impact.

Our Approach to Each PPN 002 Mission

The PPN 002 Social Value Model is built around five national missions. ODEIS’s contribution is most meaningful across four of them. We have not claimed a contribution under ‘Take Back Our Streets’, consistent with PPN 002’s guidance that suppliers should focus on outcomes genuinely relevant to their work rather than spreading commitments thinly.

3.1 Kickstart Economic Growth

3.1.1 Economic growth through procurement: we recognise that every pound we spend in our supply chain is a potential tool for economic benefit. We will:

• engage specialist UK-based subcontractors, associates and social enterprises, including smaller and independent practitioners and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs), giving preference to suppliers who deliver specific social benefit where capability and price are comparable;
• pay subcontractors and associates promptly and fairly, in line with our published Terms of Business and the prompt payment principles in our Master Services Agreement;
• offer work experience, mentoring or shadowing opportunities for students or early-career professionals in data science, environmental science and public health analytics, particularly those from disadvantaged or under-represented backgrounds, where capacity allows;
• target categories of spend including data services, consulting support, printing and event catering where applicable as initial priority areas for engaging social enterprises, building on evidence that labour-intensive service categories offer the most accessible and scalable route to social procurement.

3.2 Make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower

• operating as a Hybrid by Design consultancy, avoiding the emissions associated with maintaining a dedicated office while remaining fully able to deliver in-person, on-site or printed work wherever a client, contract or tender requires it, as set out in our Carbon Reduction Plan;
• conducting the substantial majority of client meetings and engagement work by video conferencing rather than in-person travel, with business travel reserved for where physical presence is genuinely necessary;
• favouring digital delivery of reports, presentations and stakeholder engagement materials, minimising printing and associated resource use;
• giving weight to the environmental commitments of subcontractors and associates when selecting them for an engagement, where practicable;
• embedding environmental considerations in our advice to clients, drawing on our environmental science expertise, where the scope of the engagement allows.

See our Sustainability Initiative for the fuller explanation of these commitments, including our approach to carbon reporting once trading begins.

3.3 Break Down Barriers to Opportunity

3.3.1 Supplier diversity: we recognise that supplier diversity — actively including social enterprises, minority ethnic-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, disability-focused enterprises and other under-represented suppliers in our procurement — is both a social value outcome in its own right and a driver of more innovative, resilient supply chains. We will:

• commit to fair, merit-based recruitment and engagement of personnel and associates, free from discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic;
• use supplier networks and directories such as Social Enterprise UK, equivalent minority supplier development networks, and disability enterprise networks to identify diverse suppliers in categories relevant to our business, rather than defaulting to the most familiar or most visible suppliers;
• ensure our engagement processes and materials are accessible to candidates and associates with diverse needs;
• offer work experience, mentoring or shadowing opportunities with a particular focus on people from groups under-represented in the data and environmental analytics sector, where capacity allows.

3.4 Build an NHS Fit for the Future

• supporting NHS and public health clients with rigorous, evidence-based data analysis that contributes to better-informed service planning and delivery, including health equity and outcome data where the engagement requires it;
• sharing knowledge and insight on public health and environmental topics to support wider understanding relevant to NHS and population health priorities;
• supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of our own personnel and associates through flexible, remote working arrangements and realistic workload management when scoping client engagements;
• recognising that supply chain wellbeing is itself a recognised social value outcome: we will not place exploitative time, cost or delivery pressures on our subcontractors and associates.

Social Procurement in Our Supply Chain

4.1 ODEIS recognises that genuine social value extends through our supply chain, not just within our own direct operations. We will:

• communicate our Social Value Policy to our subcontractors, associates and key suppliers and encourage them to adopt comparable commitments where proportionate to the size and nature of their own businesses;
• where evaluating subcontractors for a specific engagement, include social value considerations such as employment practices, supplier diversity, and environmental commitments alongside the standard criteria of capability, quality and price;
• use our Standard Subcontractor / Associate Agreement to embed minimum expectations around ethical conduct, fair payment, and compliance with modern slavery and anti-bribery legislation, consistent with our other published policies.

4.2 We recognise that many social enterprises and diverse businesses face capacity constraints that can make it harder to win or manage contracts. We will work with such suppliers collaboratively — sharing requirements clearly in advance, providing timely feedback, and developing longer-term relationships where performance merits it — to help build their capability over time.

Measuring and Reporting Social Value

5.1 Where a client engagement includes specific social value commitments, outcomes or key performance indicators, ODEIS will report against these as agreed in the relevant Engagement Document, mapping our contributions to the PPN 002 Social Value Model outcomes, the National TOMs (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) framework, or the client’s own metrics, as requested.

5.2 As a matter of good practice, ODEIS will track and be prepared to report on the following core metrics in connection with its social value activities:

5.3 As ODEIS grows, we intend to develop more rigorous measurement of social return on investment (SROI) and will consider formal third-party reporting frameworks where these are required by our clients or are proportionate to our scale.

5.4 ODEIS will review, and where appropriate publish, a short annual summary of its social value activities. This Policy is reviewed at least annually, or sooner where our services, supply chain or clients’ requirements change, or where the government’s social value model is updated further.

Governance and Accountability

6.1 This Policy is owned by the Director of ODEIS Limited. Senior-level commitment to social value is a critical enabler of delivery: the Director is personally responsible for embedding social value considerations in ODEIS’s business development, procurement and engagement decisions.

6.2 Social value commitments in specific client engagements are recorded in the relevant Statement of Work and are monitored alongside delivery performance throughout the engagement.

6.3 This Policy should be read alongside our Carbon Reduction Plan, Modern Slavery Statement, Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy, and Information Security & Privacy Policy, all of which form part of ODEIS’s wider ethical and sustainability commitments.

Approval

This Policy has been approved by the Director of ODEIS Limited.

This Social Value Policy was last reviewed and approved on 16 July 2026. We reserve the right to update this Policy at any time. Material changes will be communicated via our Website.