As a significant employer and purchaser, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) recognises that it has a key role in helping to directly build the local economy across Rochdale Borough.  RBH wants to encourage local businesses, social and community enterprises to be able to collaboratively bid for contracts and work with it.

To help make this happen, RBH has committed to including social value within every tender over £50k. By doing this, it can:

• increase the amount of money retained in the local economy
• ensure it is working with businesses that share its values
• drive social benefits for RBH communities.

For many businesses tendering for opportunities with RBH and responding to the social value element may be new, so to help it has created an easy to read guide for potential suppliers. The guide sets out RBH’s priorities relating to social value and includes practical ways that businesses can offer and demonstrate it.  RBH is clear that this isn’t about businesses creating new add ons, but embedding social value in what they do on a daily basis.

RBH is also working with other housing providers in Greater Manchester and the Business Growth Hub to offer a programme of free training for local businesses to help them write better tenders – watch this space for opportunities coming soon.  Download the RBH suppliers guide to social value on the RBH website, and check out its twitter feed for upcoming opportunities to bid for work. www.rbh.org.uk/socialvalueguide