To ask the Minister for Communities (i) how he is ensuring social value procurement policy is being delivered by his Department; and (ii) to detail the successful awards made since 1 June 2022.

The Department for Communities (DfC) complies with NI procurement policy, and in relation to social value ensures compliance with PPN 01/21 – Scoring Social Values. This PPN requires that all supplies and services, and construction contracts above certain values must include social values initiatives with a 10% weighting applied to bidder responses at tender evaluation stage. This minimum weighting will apply to the thresholds set out in the Public Contracts Regulations. That is, service contracts valued above £138,760 and construction contracts valued above £5,336,937.

Construction Procurement Delivery (CPD) as the Centre of Procurement Expertise (CoPE) for DfC provides the Department with a range of services designed to ensure procurement processes, tender documentation, evaluations and contract awards comply with NI Public Procurement Policy and the UK Procurement Regulations.

Since 1 June 2022 the total number of DfC awarded contracts is 122. The Department’s Commercial Business Unit awarded 55 of those and CPD the other 67. Social Value initiatives were included with those meeting the relevant thresholds.