Question 1

What is PPN 026?

Accepted Answer

A Cabinet Office procurement policy note, published on 5 August 2026, that replaces the old social value model. It applies to central government procurements of £1m or more whose tender notice is published on or after 1 January 2027. Social value has to carry at least 10% of the score, or 20% from £5m, and it's now focused on two outcomes: good jobs and skills.

Question 2

Does posting a job count as social value?

Accepted Answer

Not on its own. What counts is what you commit to and deliver: the placements and internships you fill. We help you fill them and give you the numbers to prove it.

Question 3

Which people count?

Accepted Answer

PPN 026 names target groups for its upcoming guidance, including people moving from education into work, young people not in education, employment or training, care leavers and people with a long-term health condition or disability. The detailed guidance is due by 30 November 2026. Students who apply can tell us, optionally and with consent, if they belong to one of these groups, so it shows in your report.

Question 4

Why work experience and placements?

Accepted Answer

The talent pipeline criterion rewards suppliers who open up placements, apprenticeships and pre-work training for young people. The note gives an example: “45 days of work experience is exactly the kind of social value the Prime Minister is seeking to see delivered.”

Question 5

Does this apply to councils and the NHS?

Accepted Answer

PPN 026 binds central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Other public bodies may choose to follow it.

Question 6

Where do the students come from?

Accepted Answer

Cracked Interns is a spin-out of AccelerateMe, the UK's leading student-led startup accelerator. Our network of 10,000+ students comes through AccelerateMe and hackathons like HackEurope.

PPN 026: prove your jobs and skills commitments

What changes in January

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