Verifiable Value: The Need for Social Value Procurement in the 2024 Federal Budget.

In early August 2023, Social Value Canada submitted a proposal for the federal pre-budget consultation for Budget 2024, focusing on embedding social value thinking into public procurement. 

With an estimated $22 billion purchasing power of goods and services in Canada, the Government of Canada has a highly influential role in the Canadian economy. Our proposal underscores the need for an evaluation framework that examines the impact of federal suppliers on individuals, communities, and the environment.  

Our aim is clear: to channel government resources towards objectives that foster equity, well-being, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion. By prioritizing the evaluation of the societal change brought about by procurement policies, social value procurement seeks to generate a return on investment that is valuable to us as a society. 

Within our submission, we presented two key recommendations. 

Recommendation 1: Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and Shared Services Canada adopt a Social Value Procurement Policy which applies a mandatory consideration and valuation of social and environmental impact triggered by federal government procurement of products and services above a designated value. 

Recommendation 2: Increase the capacity of Canada’s public service to understand, integrate and conduct social value assessments as a core aspect of policy, planning, and procurement work by including it as part of the curriculum at Canada’s School of Public Service. 

For further details on our recommendations, please refer to the full document submitted during the federal pre-budget consultation by clicking the following *link*