Match My Project

Briefly describe the initiative/ project/service; please include your aims and objectives

Stockport Council has invested in Match My Project (MMP) for a period of 3 years, to ensure we are maximising opportunities around Social Value. Our Council Social Value Charter describes our ambition of ensuring “every penny we spend benefits the people of Stockport” yet we realised the social value that suppliers were committing to was based on what they believed Stockport needed, rather than what would bring the greatest benefit to our local communities. We invested in Match My Project, in an attempt to address this gap. 

Match My Project is an on-line brokerage portal, a virtual meeting point for businesses working with Stockport Council, local communities and the local voluntary, community, faith, social enterprise (VCFSE) sector, which enables community organisations to get the help and support they need for local projects. The portal also enables organisations based in local communities, such as schools and faith groups, and council teams working with vulnerable people and communities, to access support and opportunities. 

The system is based on the principles of co-design and works by inviting community organisations to sign up to the portal and describe what their “asks” of local businesses are. We have adopted a multi-faceted engagement approach to ensure that as many community groups as possible sign up. Our local VCSFE infrastructure organisation, Sector 3, has been instrumental in supporting local organisations to do this and alongside their involvement, we have also run a social media campaign and information has been cascaded through our existing community channels on a regular basis. We currently have (as at November 2024) over 60 community groups signed up, in addition to Sector 3, which acts as the voice for many more grass roots organisations. 

During the procurement process, in the Social Value section of the evaluation, potential providers are encouraged to commit to “x” number of projects on the portal (proportionate to contract value). The winning bidder then signs upto the portal and chooses the project/projects they feel they are able to complete. We currently have over 70 businesses signed upto the portal. This includes a range of local and regional SMEs alongside some national, multi-million pound organisations. 

Progress against projects and outcomes is logged on the portal alongside testimonies from both suppliers and recipients of the support. There is also a leader board, which encourages healthy competition. Feedback can be used both to highlight innovation and impact and also, particularly for suppliers, can be used as (social value) evidence for any future public sector bids they may wish to submit. 

Our corporate priorities in relation to social value, focus on the following priority cohorts and themes, which have been developed based on feedback from engagement with local communities and community organisations, our anchor organisations and council workforce colleagues, including elected members. 

– Care Leavers
– Buying Local & Social Value Economy 
– Ex –offenders 
– Loneliness & Social Isolation 
– Those with SEND Needs 
– Work & Skills Training Opportunities 
– Veterans 
– Routes into Employment 
– Fair and Inclusive 
– Capacity Building: Internal & External 
– Long Term Unemployed 
– Digital Engagement & Inclusion 
– Children in care & Foster carers 
– Climate Action NOW 
– Cost Of Living 

What are the key achievements? 

The following statistics give an overview of the depth of impact MMP has had in SMBC: 

– 66 Community organisations signed up 

– 74 businesses signed up 

– 258 hours donated 

– 72 hours pledged 

The #1 business on SMBC’s MMP leaderboard has delivered a total of 164 hours and £2399 worth of materials and money. 

An overview of some of the projects supported is outlined below, including feedback from stakeholders: Ridge Next Chapters Pre-Employment Programme-provided people who had been distanced from work for a period of time with advice, support, workshops etc to build and test their skills. 3 people have since secured jobs. Many others have now had interview experience.

Possibilities matched with Brinnington SEND to provide therapeutic animal interaction sessions for the year. Providing activities for over 30 young people with SEND, in one of Stockport’s most deprived neighbourhoods. 

Eurovia linked with Webb Lane Allotments to provide and help fit a poly funnel so that local people can work on the allotment in all weathers-combatting loneliness and supporting people with underlying health issues to be outdoors and interacting with nature and each other. 

Westfield 

To complement these statistics, the following quotes highlights the impact the platform is making in SMCB: 

“I think with this portal, the sky is the limit. We can be brave, we can be bold with what we ask for, and we’ve got some real potential to make a difference to communities and individuals in Stockport.” (Laura Mercer, SMBC) 

“This is just really exciting. Every time something comes along that is right in the middle of the Venn diagram of innovation, commerciality, connection, and doing the right thing, there’s a real energy and buzz in the room.” (Councillor Jilly Julian, Stockport Council) 

This is how MMP has increased the efficiency and productivity of the three main user types – Authority, Community Based Organisations and Businesses: 

For SMBC, partnering with MMP has provided streamlined Social Value management, saving time and resources. The platform has enhanced transparency and accountability in community engagement by ensuring that all Social Value projects delivered are verified by the community. MMP has enhanced SMBC’s ability to match local needs with available resources. 

For Businesses, MMP has simplified the process of meeting Social Value obligations. The platform increases the visibility of community needs, allowing for more targeted and impactful contributions to local communities from businesses. This is why the platform is known as the ‘Tinder’ of Social Value – it creates opportunities for businesses to build stronger relationships with local communities and authorities. 

“Free and Easy to use” 

“Good to understand what SV Stockport needs-so we can target our offers”

“Allows feedback from suppliers and community groups” 

“Suppliers can use MMP to evidence good SV when applying for other public sector contracts” 

“Great organisation to partner with and we have developed a long-lasting relationship”. 

“Positive relationships have been formed through this portal” 

For Community Organisations, MMP makes it easier to access funding and resources. This is in the face of repeated local government funding cuts over the last decade, which have reduced the amount of funding available to the VCSE sector. MMP creates a direct channel to private sector investment, underpinned by the requirements of the public procurement process and the Social Value Act. The platform has reduced the administrative burden for organisations seeking support for their projects and increased the visibility of these projects and causes. 

The social value provided by Westfields was fantastic. Very helpful team members and they will go over and above to support community projects”. 

“Westfields over delivered for us, they brought a sensory bus so there was extra activities for the children”. 

“Having a donation like this made our jobs so much easier. Normally we would spend hours trying to fundraise for these events but we didn’t have to this time” 

“The young person really enjoyed the work experience. He said he had plenty to do and learnt a lot. This experience has opened up his career choices for the future”. 

“The feedback from the young person was he thoroughly enjoyed the placement”. 

“Great organisation to partner with and deliver a valuable work shadowing placement for a local care leaver”. 

“Ridge have a real passion for social value and supporting local young people. We will continue to work with them to develop more opportunities for local young people”. 

“MMP is easy to use-like the old days where you could put a card in a shop window to advertise what you either had to offer, or were offering”. 

“MMP is great as we don’t have to spend our time writing bids in corporate speak, rather we can say what we want in our own words and spend our time 

How Innovative is your initiative? 

MMP has taken several innovative approaches within the Social Value delivery landscape, making our solution unique and effective. MMP evolved from years of work on The Social Value Exchange, which focused on competitive Social Value bidding in procurement. We noticed a demand for a matching tool purely focused on Social Value delivery. 

We’ve shifted focus from merely measuring Social Value to tracking, verifying, and ensuring accountability. While measuring is important (and relatively simple) the bigger challenge our network of public sector partners faces in practice is tracking, verifying and holding suppliers accountable to the commitments made at the tender stage. 

Because we have direct access to community beneficiaries, we do not need to rely on suppliers – and thereby avoid a potential conflict of interest. 

Our approach is to: 

a) incentivise community organisations to share their data with us and 

b) to celebrate supplier performance using our intuitive visual performance dashboards and league tables. 

We incentivise community organisations to share data and celebrate supplier performance through dashboards and league tables. Our platform enables community organisations to verify delivery, eliminating the need for supplier self-certification or third-party consultants. This approach enhances transparency and trust in the Social Value delivery process. 

The gamification elements that we’ve incorporated also motivate suppliers to maximise their resource delivery in communities. 

We are committed to continuous improvement. We maintain a bi-monthly Super User Group with our public sector partners. This collaborative approach allows us to quickly adapt to changing user needs and address issues promptly. Our platform is co-developed with these partners, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness. 

A prime example of our commitment to continuous improvement is our response to demand for a single-login feature. We recognised that many of our users work with multiple contracting authorities and found it cumbersome to maintain separate credentials for each authorities’ site on MatchMyProject. In response, we’re developing a unified login system that allows users to access multiple contracting authorities’ sites on MatchMyProject with the same credentials. This feature will further streamline the user experience, increase efficiency and reduce potential barriers to engagement. 

The single login feature demonstrates our ability to listen to user feedback, identify pain points, and swiftly implement solutions that enhance the overall functionality of our platform. 

We combine our platform-based approach with hands-on support. This hybrid model ensures users benefit from both easy-touse tools and personal relationships with our team. Our team provides ongoing support, starting from onboarding and implementation. We maintain a constant presence to assist users, demonstrating our commitment to their success. 

These innovative approaches have allowed us to create a unique, effective solution in the Social Value delivery space. Our flexibility has been crucial to our success and has allowed us to create a solution that meets the needs of all stakeholders in the Social Value ecosystem. 

What are the key learning points? 

MatchMyProject has established a robust framework for long-term sustainability and impact in the Social Value delivery sector. Our approach combines scalable business practices with a strong commitment to ethical standards and community benefit. 

MatchMyProject operates on a highly scalable business model, which forms the foundation of our long-term sustainability. We have a subscription-based revenue model, which not only keeps our organisation financially stable but also allows us to reinvest profits into continuous feature development. This approach enables us to improve our product offerings and increase our market share, creating a cycle of growth and innovation. 

Our commitment to ethical standards and responsible practices is embedded in our organisational DNA. Our articles of association state our dedication to benefiting community organisations as the end result of our work. This ensures that our business goals remain aligned with our social mission, providing a clear ethical framework for all our operations. 

We recognise that our platform is part of a wider ecosystem of tools benefiting the community sector and supporting local communities. Our long-term strategy involves not just improving our platform, but also integrating with and supporting other initiatives that share our goals. This collaborative approach allows us to amplify our impact and create more comprehensive solutions for community development. 

In line with our commitment to maximising social impact, we are exploring the possibility of making our data open. This initiative would allow other companies to build complementary tools using our data, potentially creating a broader ecosystem of community support solutions. 

To sustain and grow our impact over time, we plan to expand our solution into other public sector community initiatives. We are actively exploring opportunities in areas such as Section 106 agreements and net zero initiatives. This expansion will allow us to apply our expertise to new challenges and increase our overall positive impact on communities. 

We are committed to continually developing our offering for the community sector. Our goal is to provide increasingly sophisticated solutions that effectively resource communities, helping them to become more resilient and self-sufficient over time. We want to see community organisations who use our tools develop their capabilities to the point where they can take on their own contracts. 

By continually adapting our platform, expanding into new areas, and fostering community resilience, we aim to create a selfreinforcing ecosystem of social value delivery that will continue to grow and evolve over time. 

Additional Comments 

The success of MMP in Stockport has been acknowledged as an exemplar, with more and more GM LAs are now exploring investing in the system, and 2 already signed up. This reflects the impact that MMP has had, when taking into account the economic context and public sector presssures.