The Legal and Social Construction of Value in Government Procurement Markets

Bibliographic Data

ID11448520
AuthorsRichard Craven (0000-0001-5294-7835, School of Law University of Sheffield, Bartolomé House Winter Street Sheffield S3 7ND England, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume47
Issue1
Pages29-59
Publication date2020-03-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Law and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0263-323X • E-ISSN: 1467-6478
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jols.12211
OpenAlexW2998101412
LanguageEN
Citations received2

The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 introduces a social value duty. It requires public authorities in England and Wales that are carrying out procurement activities to ‘consider’ how such activities might ‘improve ... economic, social and environmental well‐being’. This article analyses qualitative, empirical data on how the social value duty has been interpreted and applied across local government in England. Although only a weak legal duty, this law has made a notable impact on practice. The article explains the changes brought about in practice under the social value duty and seeks to understand why these changes have occurred. It does so by recognizing local government procurement markets, as well as local government organizations themselves, as strategic action fields. In these fields, there are competing visions for social value. It is through conversations between actors that a common meaning comes to be attached to the law

Business · Duty · Government (linguistics · Law and economics · Local government · Meaning (existential · Political science · Procurement · Public relations · Public value · Sociology · Value (mathematics · Vision · Law · Legal Issues in South Africa · Public Administration · Public Procurement and Policy · Regulation and Compliance Studies · Marketing

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