Mission-Ready Bidding: How PPN 002 Turns Social Value into a Competitive Edge for Tech Suppliers

Public-sector procurement in the UK is about to change gears. On 8 May, techUK hosted the Cabinet Office’s social value team and colleagues from the Department for Education (DfE) for a webinar that unpacked the new Procurement Policy Note PPN 002, that updates the approach to social value in public sector procurement to align with mission-led government. 

“MEAT” is out, “MAT” is in 

Samantha Butler, Head of Social Value Commercial Policy at the Cabinet Office, opened with the headline reform from the Procurement Act 2023. The old “most economically advantageous tender” (MEAT) test is being replaced by “most advantageous tender” (MAT). In other words, value for money is no longer measured by price and technical quality alone. Social, economic, and environmental outcomes now form part of the final arithmetic. PPN 002 replaces PPN 06/20 and refreshes the Social Value Model, with buyers encouraged to choose one outcome that is relevant to the contract: 

1. Kick-start economic growth 

2. Make Britain a clean-energy super-power 

3. Take back our streets 

4. Break down barriers to opportunity 

5. Build an NHS fit for the future 

What you’ll see in future tenders 

• Sharper questions, simpler scoring. Evaluation panels judge the credibility of your plan, not the volume of activity with SMEs competing on equal terms to global giants. 

• Standard KPIs. If you offer apprenticeships, T-Level placements or carbon savings, you’ll report them via a single, Whitehall-wide template. 

• Fair-work provision. A new outcome asks for evidence of fair pay and conditions wherever labour makes up significant contract costs. 

• Mandatory early engagement. Every authority must publish a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice. 

The Cabinet Office’s message to tech suppliers: start with skills 

Throughout 2024, and now in 2025, techUK members hammered home one point: the tech sector’s most authentic contribution to social value is closing the digital-skills gap. The Cabinet Office listened. In guidance across government, buyers running technology procurements are advised to start with the Skills for Growth outcome. 

To illustrate what that looks like, Ian Ryan and Jeb Samad from the DfE gave a rapid-fire briefing on T Levels—two-year, Level-3 qualifications that mix classroom study with an industry placement. Three routes map directly to the digital sector: 

• Over 300 providers deliver T Levels (400+ from September); placements last 45 days, with SMEs reclaiming up to £25k in costs. 

• A sector-specific webinar for digital employers will be held on 11 June 2025, hosted by the DfE. Details and a link to the registration can be found on the techUK website here. 

How to craft a compliant, compelling response 

The Cabinet Office advised building a reusable “social-value playbook” containing two or three offers you can deliver with minimal friction. A bid under PPN 002 should cover four things: 

1. Commitment – What you will do, for whom, at what scale 

2. Delivery plan – Milestones, named owners, governance touchpoints. 

3. Measurement – Use the model’s standard KPI where it exists; propose a sensible metric where it doesn’t. 

4. Legacy – How benefits endure beyond contract close (e.g., learners offered apprenticeships, staff retained on higher wages). 

Final thought 

PPN 002 isn’t about producing longer bid documents; it’s about showing purposeful impact. For digital suppliers, the most straightforward path to a high social-value score is also the most strategic for the sector: invest in future talent, measure the outcome, and weave that story into every contract you chase.