The review carried out for the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 concludes that too much of the existing evidence base consists of descriptive case studies with insufficient material on outcomes and impacts. To date, little work has been done around monitoring the impact of CB clauses, which is critical to provide an evidence base that will:

• Help to evaluate existing approaches.
• Provide a rationale for continuing, or potentially expanding the approach.
• Demonstrate tangible benefits

Download the Analysis of the Impact and Value of Community Benefit Clauses in Procurement

This study seeks to address this through delivering a robust evidence base in line with the aims and objectives articulated in the Brief. In broad terms this comprises of:

• A review of literature on CB clauses and effectiveness, with a summary of this contained in Appendix 1.
• A broad based e-survey of CB activity across Scotland. More than 350 organisations were invited to participate including:
  • All 32 local authorities.
  • Central government departments and key government agencies, e.g. Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland - Scotland’s Colleges and Universities.
  • All Registered Social Landlords (RSLs).
  • Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs).
  • NHS central procurement.
• The selection of 24 contracts for in-depth follow up. In each instance this involved interviews with the procuring organisation, the main contractor and (where appropriate) sub-contractors.
• Analysis of CB clause usage, outcomes and impacts drawing on the e-survey and in-depth interviews.
• The development of recommendations and conclusions around the monitoring and evaluation of CB clauses.

Table of contents

Executive Summary
Background and Brief
Use of Community Benefits Clauses
Outcomes and Impacts of Community Benefits Clauses
Maximising the Impacts of Community Benefits Clauses
Conclusions and Recommendations