CEO Mathew Baxter addresses future of social value

Today, Echelon Group CEO, Mathew Baxter, was a guest speaker in a session on: “Making it Transformational: The Future of Social Value Innovation in Procurement,” at the HACT Social Value Conference 2023, which was attended by over 330 people.

The session explored the social value considerations that organisations should be making throughout the various stages of the procurement process, and the importance of market engagement, which is all too often overlooked, to “test” initial requirements.

It should be treated with the same seriousness as all other aspects of the procurement process, said Mathew, and dialogue/negotiation should be used to hone offers. A clear set of requirements should be developed, he explained, and expectations need to be realistic.

Social value is at the core of Echelon’s ethos, and Mathew illustrated how over 50 organisations we have worked with have used our Social Value Matrix to develop impactful initiatives, that deliver real benefits to the community.

The matrix was developed to help organisations determine their social value requirements at the outset of a contract, while building in flexibility, to enable changes over the contract term.