TOMS social value
Many local authority tender processes now emphasis Social Value as a key part of the service delivery process.
The national TOMs – Themes, Outcomes and Measures – is a framework for delivering excellence in measuring and reporting social value.
Check out what it means for social care via https://socialvalueportal.com/solutions/national-toms/
Introduction to TOMs 2020
Who are Social Value Portal?
We are the market leader in social value measurement. We have developed the online solution for the measurement, procurement, management and reporting of social value. For procurement we act as a procurement platform for social value to help organisations manage the tender process and to unlock social value within the supply chain.
For more information please follow: https://socialvalueportal.com/services/
What is the TOMs framework?
The National TOMs Framework – which stands for Themes, Outcomes and Measures – aims to provide a minimum reporting standard to help buyers measure and justify the pursuit of social value outcomes in their contracts. It provides is a robust, transparent and defensible solution for assessing and awarding tenders, which is especially important for the public sector.
Since the Public Services (Social Value) Act came into force in 2013, commissioners of public services have been obliged to think about how they can secure wider social benefits from their contracts. However, a poor understanding of what social value outcomes are and how they can be measured has limited the impact of the act.
The TOMs framework was developed over 18 months in consultation with The National Social Value Task Force which was founded in February 2016 in order to establish a good practice framework for the integration of the Public Services (Social Value Act) 2012 into our public sector and business.
The TOMs framework consists of:
5 themes
20 outcomes
48 core measures
1 measurement and reporting standard
Themes
The TOMs are split in to 5 key Social Value Themes:
Jobs: Promoting Local Skills and Employment
Growth: Supporting Growth of Responsible Regional Business
Social: Healthier, Safer and more Resilient Communities
Environment: Decarbonising and Safeguarding our World
Innovation: Promoting Social Innovation
Outcomes
These themes are then expanded into 35 outcomes that are practical and deliverable things that all organisations across sectors and across industries can relate to and think about delivering on any kind of project e.g. More local people in employment or Reducing air pollution.
Measures
The measures selected within your set of TOMs will be how you will encourage your supply chain to meet the outcomes desired.
E.g. If you decided to include the outcome of ‘Reducing air pollution’ you may wish to select the measure of NT32 (please see the full list of National TOMs). Bidders will be asked how many car miles they anticipate they can save throughout the contract duration through transport initiatives such as Cycle to Work schemes.
This will need to be evidenced at the tender stage by including a breakdown of the number of car miles to be saved and how the car miles will be saved. The baseline used should be specified in the evidence (i.e. car miles driven before a programme is put in place to reduce car miles driven) as well as full methodology of the calculation.
Proxy Values
The TOMs work with a set of financial proxies that can be used to put a financial value on the social value being delivered in a project, some measures have no proxy and this data is recorded and monitored throughout the contract. The proxy values can be localised to take into account local factors and multiplier effects to make proxies more appropriate, while keeping the statistics comparable across bodies. The proxy value associated with each measure has a rationale and guidance which can be found in the ‘Definitions & Guidance’ tab within the National TOMs workbook.
The framework is regularly reviewed to ensure the proxy values used are accurate and up to date.
COVID-19 Plug-in
The COVID-19 Plug-in is designed to help organisations respond and adapt to this crisis, helping them, and the communities they are working with, more resilient as a result. The plug-in is a set of new COVID-19 measures for new tenders which can be added to or substituted for National TOMs 2020 measures. Implementing these measures will provide a transparent process to help procuring and reporting organisations monitor how bidders and suppliers can contribute to mitigate these effects and to respond to the emergency. Please see the attached COVID-19 plug-in.
What are the benefits of using the TOMs framework?
Provides a consistent approach to measuring and reporting social value
Allows for continuous improvement
Provides a robust, transparent and defensible solution for assessing and awarding tenders
Allows organisations to compare their own performance by sector and industry benchmarks and understand what good looks like
Reduces the uncertainty surrounding social value measurement for businesses, allowing them to make informed decisions based on robust quantitative assessments and hence embed social value into their corporate strategies.
Partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA)
The National Theme’s, Outcomes and Measures are endorsed by the LGA “to help councils to measure the value they are achieving through implementing the Social Value Act. For more information and case studies please click the link below