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Council Integration Guide

Guide for local authorities and public sector organizations using RippleCore for social value tracking

Council Integration Guide

For Local Authorities and Public Sector Organizations

Overview

The RippleCore Council Platform enables local authorities to track supplier social value commitments, calculate TOMs (Themes, Outcomes, Measures) values, and ensure procurement compliance with the Social Value Act.

PRD Reference: Lines 295-297 (Social Value Act: TOMs framework)

Getting Started

Platform Access

URL: https://council.ripplecore.co.uk (or localhost:3009 for development)

Account Setup:

  1. Council admin receives invitation
  2. Configure council profile (name, region, proxy values)
  3. Set up procurement team access
  4. Import supplier database (optional)

Key Features

  • TOMs Calculator: Calculate social value using National TOMs framework
  • Supplier Management: Track supplier commitments and delivery
  • Impact Assessment: Measure social value delivered vs. committed
  • Procurement Tracking: Contract and tender social value tracking
  • Compliance Reporting: Social Value Act compliance evidence
  • Benchmarking: Compare suppliers and contracts

TOMs Calculator

What is TOMs?

TOMs Framework (Themes, Outcomes, Measures):

  • Themes: Strategic priorities (jobs, growth, environment, wellbeing, equality)
  • Outcomes: Specific improvements within themes
  • Measures: Quantifiable indicators with proxy values

Example:

  • Theme: "Jobs"
  • Outcome: "More local people in employment"
  • Measure: "No. of local people (FTE) employed on contract for 1 year or more"
  • Proxy Value: £25,210 per job (National TOMs v2025)

Using the TOMs Calculator

Access: Dashboard → TOMs Calculator

Step 1: Select Framework

  • National TOMs (default)
  • Council-specific TOMs (if configured)
  • Custom framework

Step 2: Enter Commitments For each measure:

  • Quantity (e.g., 5 jobs created)
  • Proxy value (auto-filled from framework)
  • Evidence source (supplier commitment)
  • Time period (contract duration)

Step 3: Review Calculation

  • Total social value (£)
  • Breakdown by theme
  • Top 5 contributing measures
  • Comparison to contract value (% social value)

Step 4: Generate Report

  • PDF summary for procurement files
  • Excel workbook with detailed calculations
  • JSON export for procurement systems

Proxy Values

National TOMs Default Values (2025):

  • Job created (1 year, local, FTE): £25,210
  • Apprenticeship (1 year): £18,870
  • Week of work experience: £191
  • Volunteer hour: £15
  • SME spend (£): £0.12 per £1 spent
  • Living Wage hours: £2.10 per hour
  • Carbon savings (tonne CO2e): £70

Council-Specific Values: Councils can configure custom proxy values to reflect local economic conditions and strategic priorities.

Access: Settings → TOMs Configuration

Supplier Management

Adding Suppliers

Process:

  1. Navigate to Suppliers → Add Supplier
  2. Enter supplier details:
    • Organization name
    • Registration number (Companies House)
    • Primary contact
    • Industry sector
  3. Set social value commitment (£ or %)
  4. Select social value framework (TOMs, custom)
  5. Save supplier profile

Bulk Import: CSV upload available for large supplier databases

Tracking Social Value Commitments

Commitment Tracking:

  • Total committed (£)
  • Delivery period
  • Framework used (National TOMs, custom)
  • Evidence requirements
  • Verification method

Delivery Tracking:

  • Social value delivered to date (£)
  • Percentage of commitment achieved
  • Evidence uploads (photos, reports, timesheets)
  • Verification status (pending, verified, rejected)

Supplier Impact Assessment

Assessment Metrics:

  • Social value delivered vs. committed (%)
  • Contract value vs. social value (ratio)
  • Theme distribution (jobs, environment, wellbeing, etc.)
  • Evidence quality score (verification levels)
  • Compliance status (on track, at risk, non-compliant)

Traffic Light System:

  • 🟢 Green: ≥90% of commitment delivered
  • 🟡 Amber: 70-89% delivered
  • 🔴 Red: <70% delivered or significant delays

Procurement Integration

Contract Management

Features:

  • Contract social value requirements
  • Supplier bid evaluation
  • Award criteria tracking
  • Delivery monitoring
  • Compliance verification

Workflow:

  1. Tender Stage: Define social value requirements
  2. Evaluation: Score supplier commitments
  3. Award: Set baseline for delivery tracking
  4. Monitoring: Quarterly progress reviews
  5. Completion: Final social value assessment

Social Value Requirements

Setting Requirements:

  • Minimum social value % (e.g., 10% of contract value)
  • Preferred themes (e.g., local jobs, environment)
  • Evidence standards (verification levels required)
  • Reporting frequency (monthly, quarterly)

Example Requirements:

Contract: Road maintenance (£500,000)
Social Value Requirement: 10% (£50,000)
Preferred Themes:
  - Jobs (40%): £20,000
  - Environment (30%): £15,000
  - Wellbeing (30%): £15,000

Compliance Reporting

Social Value Act Compliance

Requirements:

  • All contracts >£5M must consider social value
  • Weighted evaluation criteria (typically 10-20%)
  • Annual reporting to central government
  • Public transparency on social value delivered

RippleCore Support:

  • ✅ Automatic TOMs calculation
  • ✅ Evidence verification tracking
  • ✅ Annual compliance report generation
  • ✅ Public transparency portal (optional)
  • ✅ Central government reporting export

Report Generation

Access: Reporting → Generate Compliance Report

Report Types:

  1. Annual Social Value Report

    • All contracts with social value
    • Total value delivered
    • Theme breakdown
    • Supplier performance
    • Year-over-year trends

  2. Contract-Specific Reports

    • Individual contract performance
    • Supplier delivery vs. commitment
    • Evidence documentation
    • Risk assessment

  3. Supplier Performance Reports

    • Cross-contract analysis
    • Reliability scoring
    • Best practice identification
    • Recommendations for future tenders

Export Formats: PDF, Excel, JSON, public HTML

Integration with Council Systems

Procurement System Integration

Supported Systems:

  • Proactis
  • SAP Ariba
  • Oracle Procurement Cloud
  • Custom ERP systems (API integration)

Integration Methods:

  1. API Integration: Real-time data sync
  2. CSV Import/Export: Batch data transfer
  3. Webhook Notifications: Event-driven updates
  4. SSO: Single sign-on with council systems

Data Exchange

Incoming Data:

  • Contract details
  • Supplier information
  • Tender requirements
  • Award decisions

Outgoing Data:

  • Social value calculations
  • Compliance status
  • Supplier performance scores
  • Evidence summaries

Council-Specific Configuration

Proxy Value Customization

Why Customize?

  • Reflect local economic conditions
  • Align with council strategic priorities
  • Account for regional wage differences
  • Support specific community needs

Configuration:

  1. Navigate to Settings → TOMs Configuration
  2. Select measure to customize
  3. Enter council-specific proxy value
  4. Add justification/source
  5. Set effective date
  6. Save changes

Example:

Measure: Local job created (1 year, FTE)
National Value: £25,210
Council Value: £28,500
Justification: London Living Wage premium
Effective: April 2025

Theme Prioritization

Access: Settings → Strategic Priorities

Configuration:

  • Set theme weights (must total 100%)
  • Define minimum thresholds per theme
  • Configure preferred measures
  • Set evaluation criteria

Example Prioritization:

  • Jobs & Growth: 40%
  • Environment: 30%
  • Wellbeing: 20%
  • Equality: 10%

User Roles & Permissions

Council Roles

1. Council Admin

  • Full platform access
  • Configure TOMs proxy values
  • Manage procurement team users
  • Generate compliance reports
  • System settings

2. Procurement Officer

  • Manage suppliers
  • Track contracts
  • Calculate TOMs values
  • Generate contract reports
  • View analytics

3. Monitoring Officer

  • View supplier performance
  • Access audit trails
  • Generate compliance reports
  • Read-only access to calculations

4. Public Transparency Officer

  • Manage public portal
  • Publish annual reports
  • Respond to FOI requests
  • Configure public data access

Analytics & Insights

Council Dashboard

Key Metrics:

  • Total social value delivered (current year)
  • Active suppliers count
  • Active contracts count
  • Compliance status
  • Theme distribution
  • Top-performing suppliers

Performance Analytics

Available Reports:

  1. Supplier Performance League Table

    • Ranked by delivery vs. commitment
    • Evidence quality scores
    • Contract value vs. social value ratio

  2. Theme Analysis

    • Distribution across themes
    • Achievement by theme
    • Gap analysis by theme

  3. Trend Analysis

    • Month-over-month social value
    • Year-over-year comparison
    • Forecast for year-end

  4. Contract Analytics

    • Average social value %
    • Contract size vs. social value correlation
    • Sector performance comparison

Public Transparency

Public Portal

Features:

  • Annual social value summary
  • Top suppliers and achievements
  • Community impact stories
  • Framework and methodology
  • Contact information for inquiries

Configuration:

  1. Enable/disable public portal
  2. Select data to publish (aggregated only)
  3. Add council branding
  4. Set publication schedule (annual, quarterly)
  5. Publish to council website

Example URL: https://socialvalue.yourcouncil.gov.uk

Support & Training

Council Support

  • Dedicated Account Manager: For councils with 50+ suppliers
  • Training Workshops: Quarterly procurement team training
  • Implementation Support: 90-day onboarding assistance
  • Technical Support: Email and phone support

Resources

  • User Guides: Step-by-step instructions
  • Video Tutorials: Visual walkthroughs
  • Webinars: Monthly best practice sessions
  • Case Studies: Success stories from other councils

Contact

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can we use our own proxy values instead of National TOMs? A: Yes, you can configure council-specific proxy values for any measure. Justification is required for audit purposes.

Q: How do we verify supplier evidence? A: RippleCore provides multi-tier verification (30-100 scoring). Suppliers upload evidence, procurement officers review, and verification status is tracked.

Q: Can suppliers access their own data? A: Yes, suppliers can be invited to view their performance and upload evidence directly through the platform.

Q: How does this integrate with our procurement system? A: RippleCore offers API integration, CSV import/export, and webhook notifications to sync with your existing systems.

Q: What reports are required for Social Value Act compliance? A: Annual social value report showing total value delivered, theme breakdown, and supplier performance. RippleCore generates this automatically.

Document Version: 1.0 Last Updated: November 15, 2025 For: RippleCore Council Platform Users

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On this page

Council Integration Guide
Overview
Getting Started
Platform Access
Key Features
TOMs Calculator
What is TOMs?
Using the TOMs Calculator
Proxy Values
Supplier Management
Adding Suppliers
Tracking Social Value Commitments
Supplier Impact Assessment
Procurement Integration
Contract Management
Social Value Requirements
Compliance Reporting
Social Value Act Compliance
Report Generation
Integration with Council Systems
Procurement System Integration
Data Exchange
Council-Specific Configuration
Proxy Value Customization
Theme Prioritization
User Roles & Permissions
Council Roles
Analytics & Insights
Council Dashboard
Performance Analytics
Public Transparency
Public Portal
Support & Training
Council Support
Resources
Contact
Frequently Asked Questions