Outline Service Specification for Social Return on Investment (SROI) on Birmingham Voluntary

Outline Service Specification for Social Return on Investment (SROI) on Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) core services

Scope of Work

We wish to commission a Social Return on Investment (SROI). The subject of the SROI are the core services of Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC).

Contract Value

We are inviting quotes up to the value of £3,500.00 including VAT. This fee excludes the cost for SROI accreditation, which will be paid separately.

Details set out below

1 Background and purpose of the SROI

2 Activities subject to SROI and the time period of their delivery

3The resources we will make available

4 Proposed SROI research activities

5 Your submission- content and the skills required

6 Commission and contract delivery schedule

1 Background and purpose of the SROI

Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC), also known as the Centre for Voluntary Action, supports the development of the voluntary and community sector across Birmingham and is one of the largest voluntary sector support organisations in the UK. We work with established charities and also local grassroots groups to enable strong local community delivery.

We are committed to the SROI concept and wish to commission an experienced SROI practitioner-assessor to utilise the SROI framework to measure and value of our core services. We wish you to take into account social, environmental and economic costs and benefits when looking at BVSCs impact. We expect a ratio of benefits to costs to be calculated as a result.

The primary purpose of the SROI is over the past 2-3 years. In accordance with our contractual undertakings to BCC, you will capture the impact that BVSC has had at a community and neighborhood level (our beneficiaries). The SROI will therefore gather and analyse intelligence, then measure and report on the impact of BVSC core services on the voluntary and community sector in Birmingham.

Given the recent reductions in public sector spending on most CVSs nationally, we expect this report to address the impact of any cuts to BVSC. The SROI should reveal the impact of any cuts during this period on the service BVSC has offered to Birmingham’s voluntary and community sector.

In addition we expect the SROI process to show how well we have promoted the value of the third sector in Birmingham, in particular to public and private sector stakeholders.

2 BVSC Core activities subject to SROI and time period of their delivery

We are clear that this will form part of an evaluation designed to capture the impact of our core services between April 2012 and time of writing (2014). The projects and activities to be included are:

The Volunteer Centre
Third Sector Assembly
BVSC Training
BVSC Gallery
BVSC On line portal and On line services (plus Ask BVSC Helpline?)
BVSC Communications including e-bulletins, Update magazine etc

3 The resources we will make available

[We are inviting quotes up to the value of £3500 including VAT. The fee for SROI accreditation will be paid separately but is included in the above amount. We expect at least 12 consultancy days for this fee]

On the BVSC Third Sector Database we have named contacts, email, telephone, postal addresses for BVSC members. We are able to use these as long as consideration is given to data protection. It is important to note however, that we expect a wide cross section of members’ views about BVSC to become available through survey responses from other research being conducted concurrently with the SROI (BVSC’s State of the Sector research). You will not need to carry out a separate member survey but should be able to use and interpret the raw data generated through this research, and explore it as appropriate through focus groups, interviews etc.

Whilst we also expect the SROI to produce a ratio, we also know that the process will need to take in to account change and people’s experiences, both of which will influence the ratio. To assist you in this description, [BVSC will appoint an independent consultant to assist analysing the research findings and contextualizing report. He/she will provide information about important strategies and policies emanating from central and local government, and public agencies in Birmingham, as well as challenges faced by third sector infrastructure nationally.]

4. SROI proposed research activities

In your submission to us please do communicate any innovative ideas that you have which may add value. We expect the practitioner to follow SROI template and include these stages:

Identifying key stakeholders from different sectors and how to engage them
Defining and mapping outcomes setting out the relationship between inputs, outputs and outcomes
Primary research to collect evidence of outcomes
Giving outcomes a value, bearing in mind how long a benefit lasts, and establishing financial proxies for monetisation
Establishing impact (having assessed deadweight and displacement, attribution

drop-off etc)

Calculating the SROI ratio, and checking underpinning assumptions have been correct
Reporting the SROI. The final report should set out the ratio calculated, but also include qualitative, quantitative and financial information on the social value that has been created by delivering these core activities.
Providing an executive summary for wider dissemination and to share findings with stakeholders.

The research project will need to incorporate both quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure that we can measure activity but also understand the details (how’s and why’s) and include case study examples.

Please tell us in your submission which of the following approaches of collecting primary data collection you will use:

One-to-one interviews
Management information and other records
Focus groups and workshops
Questionnaires (face-to-face, over the phone, in the post, on line, bearing in mind that raw data of BVSC member’s views will be provided through attendant survey research)

5 Your submission: content and the skills required

Please set out the following in your submission:

Your Skills and Experience

Understanding, knowledge, training and experience of undertaking Social Return on Investment
Prior experience of outcomes measurement, evaluation, and using Microsoft’s Excel software
Evidence of basic accounting skills
Evidence of ability and capacity to use quantitative and qualitative research methods, financial proxies and attributing conditions/factors necessary for the successful achievement of this SROI
Prior experience and ccommunication skills to engage a wide range of stakeholders
Report writing skills
Familiarity with the Third Sector in Birmingham and an understanding of current social and economic challenges it faces

Proposed Methodology:

How you will go about the SROI and which approaches to collecting primary data collection you will use
Your capacity to undertake the work in given timeframe
Delivery schedule, key milestones, and consultancy days
Any risks you see and how you will mitigate them control

Legal information:

Your contact details and legal standing (to trade)
Your insurance cover

6 Commission and contract delivery schedule

You should send your submission by email to . Please do not exceed 5 x A4 pages excluding CVs. Paper copies are not required.

The deadline for submission of your quote is 12 noon on 18th July 2014.

SROI provider commissioned by 31st July 2014
Contract issued by 7th August 2014 followed by inception meeting
Start date: 14th August 2014
Relevant findings from SOS research available: by 31st October 2014
Interim SROI report: by 30th November 2014
Final SROI report: by 4th December 2014
End date and BVSC Board sign off : 10th December 2014

BVSC will retain intellectual copyright of all materials generated or used during this SROI. You will provide your completed report and any accompanying data in hard and electronic

formats.

If you require any further information please contact Nora Darby at BVSC

BVSC, 138 Digbeth

Birmingham

B5 6DR

Telephone: 0121 678 8819

Email: