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PPN 06/20 is the Cabinet Office procurement policy note titled 'Taking Account of Social Value in the Award of Central Government Contracts', issued in September 2020 to strengthen social value requirements.
PPN 06/20 is the Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Note titled 'Taking Account of Social Value in the Award of Central Government Contracts', published on 30 September 2020. This policy note significantly strengthened the requirement for central government departments to consider social value when awarding contracts above certain thresholds.
The policy note mandates that social value must be explicitly evaluated in all central government procurements above £5 million (including VAT). It requires contracting authorities to allocate a minimum of 10% of the total evaluation score to social value criteria, though this can be increased where appropriate to the procurement.
PPN 06/20 builds upon the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 by providing more prescriptive guidance on implementation. It established five key policy outcome areas that social value commitments should address: tackling economic inequality, fighting climate change, improving wellbeing, improving equal opportunity, and supporting innovation.
The policy note requires departments to publish their social value policies and report annually on delivery against commitments. Suppliers must demonstrate how their proposals will deliver measurable social value outcomes, moving beyond generic corporate social responsibility statements to specific, quantifiable commitments.
Contracting authorities must ensure social value criteria are relevant and proportionate to the contract, avoiding gold-plating whilst maximising public benefit. The guidance emphasises that social value should complement, not compromise, value for money considerations.
Since implementation, PPN 06/20 has fundamentally changed how central government approaches major procurements. Suppliers now routinely include detailed social value propositions in their bids, often engaging with local communities and third-sector organisations to develop meaningful commitments.
The policy note has driven greater consistency in social value evaluation across government departments, though implementation varies between different contracting authorities. Regular updates and clarifications continue to refine the approach as experience grows.