North East-based Bloom Procurement Services, has taken its commitment to social value to the next level by being awarded level two of the Social Value Certificate.
It is the first procurement organisation to achieve the accreditation.
The Social Value Certificate is accredited by Social Value UK, the national network for social impact and social value. Following an extensive examination, Bloom successfully evidenced that the implementation of its business systems and processes are consistent with the certified Social Value Principles.
Consisting of three levels, the certificate will take Bloom on the pathway to maximising social value in the way it operates. Having already achieved level one and level two, Bloom is now fully committed to obtaining level three.
Catherine Manning, assurance and networks manager for Social Value UK, said: “We at Social Value UK, are really excited to see Bloom make huge progress in embedding social value management practice into its operations and throughout its business. As the first procurement organisation to achieve level two: ‘Implementation of the Social Value Certificate’, it is truly impressive to see the cross-organisation dedication to prioritising social value and ultimately making business decisions that include social value in the process. We are really looking forward to seeing what Bloom does next!”
Formed in 2012, Bloom provides a full end-to-end marketplace solution for the procurement, contract management and payment of all consultancy and professional services. Its solution supports and assists the UK public sector to buy and manage professional services from a choice of regional and national suppliers.
Adam Jacobs, executive chairman, Bloom Procurement Services, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded level two of the Social Value Certificate. Social value is integral to all aspects of the Bloom business model and we have designed our systems and processes to optimise social value outcomes for our customers.
“The Bloom marketplace provides support across the UK public sector and we play a vital role in enabling the sector to achieve demonstrable social value. To date, we have awarded over 4,400 projects to SME suppliers which equates to 70% of our projects. This is driving significant growth back into local economies and removing barriers previously faced in winning public sector contracts.”
In 2019 alone, Bloom awarded contracts to the value of £251 million to SME suppliers, created efficiency savings of over £42 million for public sector buyers and invested £2.6 million back into the public sector through its delivery partnerships.
Bloom’s mission is to ensure that social value is an integral part of its operational processes when public sector buyers appoint suppliers. Bloom has launched a Social Value Programme which is dedicated to increasing sustainability within the third sector and supports buyers with social value specifications and evaluation criteria for use within the procurement selection process.
Adam, added: “Our focus for the year ahead is to deliver tangible social value into procurement projects by continuing to build our supplier community, ensuring third sector suppliers are fairly represented.”