CityFibre is the UK’s largest independent full-fibre network, connecting millions of homes and businesses nationwide. Through its partnership with the UK government’s Project Gigabit, CityFibre is bringing gigabit-capable broadband to rural and remote communities, ensuring no one gets left behind in the digital age. CityFibre needed to demonstrate its commitment to delivering measurable social value alongside infrastructure improvements to secure Project Gigabit contracts. Bean Research played a crucial role in shaping CityFibre’s social value strategy, supporting its successful bids and the ongoing implementation of its commitments.

The Challenge

CityFibre faced the challenge of integrating social value into its operations and demonstrating measurable impacts aligned with Project Gigabit’s objectives. Specific needs included:

  • Social Value Integration: Embedding social value within procurement processes to meet the requirements of government tenders.
  • Tailored Solutions: Adapting social value commitments to align with diverse local needs across nine contract areas.
  • Effective Reporting: Developing a clear reporting framework to track and demonstrate progress against social value targets.

These challenges required a strategic approach that aligned with the government’s Social Value Portal TOMs (Themes, Outcomes, and Measures) Framework while delivering meaningful outcomes for local communities.

The Solution

Bean Research partnered with CityFibre to design and implement a robust social value strategy tailored to its Project Gigabit bids and operations.

Key Initiatives

  1. Social Value Framework Development:
    • Created a flexible “menu” of social value commitments, adaptable to local needs and bid requirements.
    • Mapped commitments to the TOMs Framework to ensure compliance and maximise social value scores.
  2. Bid Support and Strategy Alignment:
    • Collaborated with CityFibre’s teams to identify opportunities for creating value through broadband infrastructure projects.
    • Provided detailed knowledge and research to enhance social value scoring in bids.
  3. Implementation and Reporting Plan:
    • Designed a quarterly reporting framework with CityFibre’s ESG and implementation teams, ensuring alignment with the TOMs metrics.
    • Established clear responsibilities for tracking and reporting on commitments.
  4. Community Initiatives:
    • Developed a Community Fund across the nine contract areas.
    • Created national partnerships for biodiversity and STEM educational outreach, producing primary school resources to engage and educate young learners.

The Results

Through its partnership with Bean Research, CityFibre embedded and started delivering on its social value:

  • Contract Success: CityFibre secured nine Project Gigabit contract awards, ensuring hard-to-reach communities benefit from full-fibre broadband.
  • Enhanced Reporting: A robust reporting framework aligns with the TOMs Framework, enabling clear, measurable tracking of social value commitments.
  • Community Impact: The £1.8 million Community Fund and educational resources are driving tangible benefits in biodiversity education and local engagement.
  • Strategic Alignment: Social value is now deeply integrated into CityFibre’s procurement processes, ensuring consistent delivery and impact across projects.

CityFibre’s collaboration with Bean Research underscores the power of a strategic approach to social value. By embedding social value in its bids and operations, CityFibre is advancing digital connectivity and creating lasting benefits for the communities it serves. With Bean’s continued support, CityFibre is well-positioned to deliver on its commitments and lead the way in demonstrating the transformative potential of infrastructure projects.

“Bean have been instrumental in establishing and implementing social value at CityFibre. They developed our social value framework and menu of commitments to apply in procurement, worked alongside our team to tailor social value commitment in bids, and on securing contracts supported our team to efficiently implement social value, develop national partnerships and work with our commissioners to report the impact we have.”  

Martin Kemp, Head of Commercial, CityFibre