For more than a decade, STAR Procurement has helped councils across the North West turn Social Value from a policy aspiration into something that communities truly feel.
As of 2026, these councils have generated over £183 million in validated Social Value, with nearly £600 million more committed through live contracts.
But the real story is the amazing outcomes these procurements have delivered for communities, including 13,000 hours of expert and general volunteering, over 1,400 local jobs created, £40,000 spent with the voluntary sector, and much more.
This case study explores how STAR’s approach has evolved – and what other practitioners can learn from the contracts delivering on-the-ground impact.
STAR’s journey started in 2014, when Social Value was first formally built into procurement practice, laying the foundations for a more intentional approach to impact.
That commitment deepened five years later with the beginning of a partnership with Social Value Portal, and adoption of the Social Value TOM System™, bringing consistency, clarity and accountability to their procurement processes.
For us at STAR, Social Value is not an add‑on – it’s a fundamental part of how we use public money to deliver real, lasting benefit for our communities. By embedding Social Value into our procurement processes and adopting the TOM System, we’ve been able to move beyond good intentions and start consistently measuring, managing and maximising impact.
What’s been most powerful is how this has changed behaviour across the market. Suppliers now come to us thinking seriously about jobs, skills, local spend and community outcomes from day one. That’s how procurement becomes a force for good – turning contracts into opportunities that genuinely improve people’s lives across the boroughs we serve.
Head of Strategic Procurement, STAR
Today, Social Value carries a 20% weighting in all of STAR’s procurements over £25,000, making it a core factor in supplier selection alongside price and quality.
Behaviours have changed accordingly: bidders no longer compete solely on cost efficiency or technical capability, but on the positive difference they can make.
Next, we take a closer look at two suppliers who are delivering local impact across STAR’s councils through their contracts.
Since delivery began for this £12 million highways contract in Stockport, George Cox & Sons have reported around £6 million in validated Social Value – significantly outstripping their commitments.
The impact is visible not just in roads improved, but in skills developed, businesses supported, and communities strengthened.
George Cox & Sons sustains a largely local workforce and has made long-term skills development a clear priority since 2021. In that time, 14 apprentices have been employed across the business, delivering more than 600 weeks of apprenticeship training.
These roles combine hands-on experience with industry-recognised qualifications, helping to build a strong pipeline of skilled workers for the construction and civil engineering sector.
George Cox & Sons has focused strongly on local suppliers – particularly small and medium-sized businesses – generating over £1.2 million in Social Value.
This approach has helped smaller firms secure work, and this in turn has strengthened local economic capability and reinforcing a more resilient supply chain across Stockport.
Volunteering and community engagement are a key element of George Cox & Sons’ Social Value strategy.
Staff have contributed over 2,500 hours of volunteering to local projects and voluntary organisations, including Bloom Allotments, Webb Lane Allotments, Bramhall Scouts, Hopes Carr, St Thomas Church and Morrell’s Community Garden.
Beyond social and economic impact, many of these initiatives have also delivered environmental benefits.
For instance, the team worked with Stockport Council and City of Trees to create a new nature corridor linking Penny Lane Woodlands with Reddish Vale Country Park, planting 7,500 trees in the process.
Local apprentices helped prepare planting sites, and the wider community got involved too. A residents-only planting day welcomed Penny Lane locals, and 130 local schoolchildren took part across six dedicated sessions, creating something the whole community could be proud of.
It was a great achievement and only made possible due to the close collaboration and hard work of our dedicated team along with Stockport Council and City of Trees.
George Cox Foundation
Reed Talent Solutions was contracted to deliver a large scale temporary staffing contract in Greater Manchester. Valued at £155.6 million, the contract has delivered an additional £100 million in Social Value.
This scale of success reflects deliberate choices about where money is spent and who is supported into work.
To date, Reed has spent over £100 million in the local supply chain, ensuring public investment stays within Greater Manchester and generating £67 million in Social Value.
Reed's commitment to helping local economies thrive runs deep. Around £50 million has been spent with local small-medium enterprises, helping to create a more diverse and resilient local economy.
Hiring is an opportunity to change lives – one that Reed have grasped with both hands. By focusing on local talent, the business has generated £374,000 in Social Value while helping residents access work closer to home.
The delivery of the contract has opened up opportunities for numerous candidates facing barriers to work. As a result of the contract in 2025 alone...
But it isn’t all about filling vacancies.
The team has taken an active, on-the-ground role in employability support, volunteering 37 hours in local schools and colleges, and a further 40 hours helping young people prepare for work through mock interviews, CV advice and careers insight.
They also attended multiple job fairs across Greater Manchester, typically engaging with around 40 unemployed people at each event.
Alongside employment activity, Reed has helped created a more cohesive community by donating the equivalent of £2,770 in vouchers and gifts to support care leavers, children in care, and local food banks, as well as volunteering 85 hours with local community initiatives such as Urban Outreach.
At Reed, Social Value is embedded in our culture and rooted in our core purpose of improving lives. Our delivery on the Greater Manchester contract is a clear demonstration of this commitment. Through £100,236,387 of Social Value generated, we have supported unemployed people and young people on their journey into employment, volunteered time in schools, colleges, and community initiatives, provided vital donations to care leavers, and prioritised local businesses and MSMEs.
Through the TOM System, we can clearly record and evidence this impact – reinforcing how closely our efforts align with our values of working together, helping communities prosper, and caring for our planet. Social value isn’t something we do; it’s who we are.
Megan Metcalfe-Roberts, Account Director, Reed
STAR has already achieved a huge amount – but they’re not slowing down. The focus now is on going further, helping their councils unlock even greater community impact through procurement spend.
With the new procurement regime placing Social Value more firmly at the heart of decision-making, STAR’s decade-plus of experience puts them in pole position to keep on creating positive impact for communities across the North West.
STAR have been pioneers in Social Value, and the scale of impact they’ve delivered speaks for itself. What really stands out is their commitment to doing Social Value well, in a way that’s meaningful, locally grounded, and focused on real outcomes. We’re proud to work with STAR and look forward to continuing that partnership for many years to come.
Guy Battle, CEO, Social Value Portal
If you're looking to learn more about what good looks like for Social Value in procurement, download our dedicated report: Benchmarking Social Value in procurement.