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PPN 026's talent pipeline criterion: why your social value plan starts with local schools

Bryn Powell

Written by

Bryn Powell

Co-founder, CommuniTie · Trustee and General Manager, Miricyl

· Facts checked 15 October 2026

In short

  • From 1 January 2027, central government tenders of £1 million or more score social value under PPN 026, which covers jobs and skills only.
  • One of its six award criteria, 2c (Talent pipeline), rewards work experience, placements and pre-work training for young people, particularly in deprived communities.
  • Schools in England are already expected to give every pupil encounters with employers and experiences of workplaces, so they need employers as much as employers need them.
  • The hard part is not the rules. It's finding a school that knows you, trusts you and has time to work with you.
  • Detailed PPN 026 guidance, including a List of Community Programmes, is due in autumn 2026. We'll update this article when it's published.

PPN 026 in one minute

PPN 026, "The Social Value Model", was published by the Cabinet Office on 5 August 2026. It applies to central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies, for procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 worth £1 million or more (including VAT) that start on or after 1 January 2027. A procurement starts when its tender notice is published.

Social value must carry at least 10% of the total score, or at least 20% for contracts of £5 million or more. Contracts of £5 million or more also need at least one social value KPI, published and reported on at least every 12 months.

The model has two outcomes and six award criteria:

  • Good jobs: 1a create and/or retain high quality jobs, 1b fair working conditions, 1c fair pay.
  • Skills: 2a training and retraining, 2b in-work progression, 2c talent pipeline.

Councils and NHS bodies don't have to use it, though they may choose to. For the full background, see our PPN 002 guide, which covers the model that still applies to tenders started before 2027.

What criterion 2c asks for

Under 2c, buyers "take into account the extent to which suppliers create a pipeline to fulfil future contract workforce needs and address skills shortages". Points go to suppliers who:

  • identify pipeline potential in communities, particularly where there are multiple indices of deprivation
  • work with those communities to co-design opportunities that address barriers for young people, through pre-work training, placements, apprenticeships and other educational opportunities
  • develop skills for innovative, high-growth sectors.

The PPN is unusually direct about what it wants: "45 days of work experience is exactly the kind of social value the Prime Minister is seeking to see delivered through this policy."

Criterion 2a (training and retraining) also mentions work placements and people from areas of multiple deprivation. The buyer chooses which criteria apply to each contract, so 2c won't be in every tender. Where it is, young people are the point.

Why schools are the natural partner

You can't co-design opportunities for young people without the people who already work with them every day. That's schools and colleges.

And schools need you too. In England, schools use the Gatsby Benchmarks for careers guidance, updated in 2025. Benchmark 5 covers encounters with employers and employees, and now says young people should meet employers "of various sizes and specialisms". Benchmark 6 covers experiences of workplaces, from visits to short placements.

The government has also set out an ambition, through its Youth Guarantee, for every school and college student in England to have two weeks (50 hours) of work experience. It isn't a legal requirement yet, but schools are being asked to plan for it.

So there's a real match: suppliers need talent pipeline work they can evidence, and schools need employers who will turn up.

The hard part: getting through the door

Most suppliers start with a cold email to a school office. It often goes nowhere. School staff are stretched, they get a lot of requests, and they're careful about who works with their pupils.

What works better:

  1. Find the right person. Ask for the careers leader, not the head. In larger schools there may be a dedicated careers adviser. In Scotland, ask about the school's Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) coordinator.
  2. Use the local careers network. In England, Careers Hubs and the Careers & Enterprise Company's Enterprise Adviser network connect employers with schools. They know which schools are looking for partners.
  3. Ask what they need first. A school may want a careers talk for Year 9, mock interviews for Year 11 or a site visit for a group that rarely leaves the area. Fit your offer to that.
  4. Start small and reliable. One well-run session that happens on the date you promised does more than an ambitious plan that slips.
  5. Let the school lead on safeguarding. Follow its policies, and it will tell you what checks and risk assessments it needs. Arrange contact with pupils only through the school.
  6. Make it meaningful. The Gatsby definition of a meaningful workplace experience includes a real task set by the employer, feedback on the young person's work and time to reflect afterwards. That's also what makes it worth reporting.

What schools get from it, and what a gift does and doesn't do

A relationship works best when it isn't one-way. Many schools have long wishlists: sports kit, reading books, equipment, things for a sensory room. Meeting a real need is often how a business gets known by a school in the first place.

Be clear about what that does for your bid. Under PPN 026, a gift to a school does not score on its own. No criterion covers donations or volunteering. A gift can open the door and build trust. The work experience, placements and training that follow are what count for 2c.

Gifts still matter elsewhere. Councils, housing providers and private clients often ask about wider community contribution, and many businesses report it for CSR and ESG.

Keep records from day one

For bigger contracts, your social value commitments become published KPIs, and poor performance against them may be considered when buyers decide whether to exclude a supplier from future tenders. Only promise what you can deliver, and keep:

  • dates, schools and year groups
  • numbers of young people and hours
  • what each session involved
  • the school's confirmation that it happened.

Where CommuniTie fits

CommuniTie connects local businesses with schools and charities near them. Schools post their real needs, businesses give, and every gift is recorded with its date and value and confirmed by the recipient. Your report shows how far each gift travelled from your business and, for schools and charities in England, the deprivation level of the area where each one is based.

CommuniTie doesn't currently arrange work experience. For now, that stays between you and the school. What it gives you is a way to find local schools, meet a real need and start a relationship, with a confirmed record of everything you've given. Use it alongside the framework each buyer specifies. It doesn't replace that framework.

Create your business account (free during the pilot) See an example contribution report

What's still to come

The Cabinet Office has said guidance will follow in autumn 2026. It is expected to set out sub-criteria, evaluation methods and performance measures, target groups (such as young people not in education, employment or training, care leavers, and people with long-term health conditions or disabilities) and a List of Community Programmes that buyers can attach to tenders. It may change how talent pipeline work is scored, so check it before you finalise a bid. We'll update this article when it's published.

Frequently asked questions

What is criterion 2c in PPN 026? Talent pipeline. It rewards suppliers who build a pipeline of future workers, particularly in communities with high deprivation, through pre-work training, placements, apprenticeships and other educational opportunities for young people.

When does PPN 026 start? It applies to in-scope central government procurements that commence on or after 1 January 2027. A procurement commences when its tender notice is published.

Does PPN 026 apply to council contracts? No. It applies to central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Local authorities and NHS bodies may choose to follow it, but they don't have to.

Do donations to schools count under PPN 026? Not on their own. Its six criteria cover jobs, working conditions, pay, training, progression and talent pipeline. Donations and volunteering are not mentioned. A gift can still help start the school relationship that talent pipeline work depends on.

How do I find a school to work with? Contact the school's careers leader, or in England your local Careers Hub or the Careers & Enterprise Company's Enterprise Adviser network. In Scotland, ask for the school's DYW coordinator. Ask what the school needs before you offer anything.

Is work experience compulsory for schools? Not yet. Schools in England follow the Gatsby Benchmarks for careers guidance, and the government has an ambition for two weeks of work experience for every student, but that isn't a legal requirement yet.

Sources

This article is general information, not legal or procurement advice. Always follow the requirements in each tender.

Related: PPN 002 Social Value Guide