Why social value and cross-sector collaboration are the real game changers
17th August 2026
Collaboration Catalyst brought together leaders from the social economy, private sector and public sector at the NatWest Accelerator hub in Birmingham to explore how stronger collaboration can unlock new opportunities for communities across the West Midlands.
Let’s talk about the big picture message every leader in the public, private and social economy sector needs to hear right now: social value is the foundation for inclusive growth.
The policy landscape is making this clearer than ever. The Cabinet Office published Procurement Policy Note 026 (PPN 026), raising the stakes on public spend. Central government procurement now mandates a minimum 10% social value weighting on contracts worth £1 million or more, which doubles to a minimum 20% weighting on major tenders of £5 million and above. With the new model zeroing in on creating quality jobs, boosting skills, and driving opportunities into local postcodes, the public sector is sending a clear signal: every pound spent must build stronger communities.
This is where cross-sector collaboration becomes vital. Government sets the policy goals, and corporate contractors need to deliver them but it’s the social economy that holds the deep local roots, community trust and innovative solutions to actually bring those targets to life. When these worlds collaborate instead of operating in silos, everyone wins.
The biggest takeaways from our table discussions were about practical action. From forming social economy consortia to bid for larger public contracts, to creating a 1% club to channel private sector profits into local enterprise capacity and bringing social businesses into project design phases from day one rather than treating them as an afterthought.
Here’s a snapshot of the event and the conversations that made Collaboration Catalyst such a valuable opportunity for networking and cross-sector learning.
The conversations continued beyond the presentations. Hear directly from some of the speakers and participants as they reflect on collaboration, networking, procurement and building a stronger social economy.
If you’d like to explore the discussions in more detail, read the full Collaboration Catalyst report, which captures the key insights, speaker presentations and practical recommendations from the session.
→ Read the full Collaboration Catalyst report
Interested in future Collaboration Catalyst events and opportunities across the West Midlands social economy?
Interviews and event highlights were filmed and produced by Gavin Dell of Lead with Impact. Thanks to Gavin for capturing the conversations and energy of the day.
