PPN 026: GOOD JOBS AND SKILLS
Social value consultancy for construction contractors
Meet your jobs and skills commitment by hiring a permanent project planner.
You employ a qualified engineer facing barriers to work at their level, from day one. We prepare them first and review everything they issue in their first year.
University of Birmingham
A University of Birmingham policy report, launched in Parliament on 3 November 2026, features the model as an example of best practice.
Engineer looking to move into planning? Apply here.
Where jobs and skills commitments go wrong
Jobs and skills now carry real weight in public tenders. A commitment fails when nobody planned who would fill the role or how to prove it.
Marks lost at tender
Evaluators mark what the contract will deliver and measure. A role on the contract has a start date and a record behind it.
Commitments lost in delivery
The bid team writes the commitment and moves on to the next bid. Months later the roles are still empty, and the records that would prove delivery were never kept.
HOW IT WORKS
How it runs, from your side
Your tender
We write the commitment into your bid.
You win
We prepare a shortlist and you choose.
Day one
They join your payroll, on your terms.
Their first year
We review everything they issue.
The record
Evidence for every KPI assessment, kept as the work is done.
A permanent planner and a commitment you can prove
What you get
A permanent planner on your project, and a jobs and skills commitment you can prove. After their first year they're more capable than when they joined, and you have the record of how.
What you do
Interview a shortlist and pick one. They join your payroll from day one, with no agency in between. You provide the salary, access to your systems and time with your planning lead.
What we do
We prepare them before day one. Our review sits behind everything they issue, as advice to your planning lead, and we keep the evidence record as the work gets done.
The PPN 026 criteria one hire can evidence
1a
High quality jobs
A permanent role created for the contract.
1c
Fair pay
Paid at your band for the role, from day one.
2a
Training
Training for someone facing barriers to work, before they start and on the job.
2b
In-work progression
A move up a grade while they work on your contract.
PPN 026 applies from 1 January 2027 to central government departments, executive agencies and NDPBs on procurements of £1m or more, including VAT. Social value carries at least 10 per cent of the score, and 20 per cent from £5m. Other public bodies may adopt it. We also write to the National TOMs, the earlier PPN 002 model and community benefit requirements.
Who's behind it
Roman Bazelchuk, Director
NEC Accredited Project Manager and APMG Project Planning and Control
We plan and control projects for contractors under NEC, JCT and FIDIC, and we plan social value the way we plan any other scope. We only write commitments we would deliver ourselves. Roman came through the same barriers himself.
Two engineers we prepared have already planned live UK projects through our firm.
Questions bid teams ask
Who employs the planner?
You do, from day one, at your pay band. There's no agency in between.
Does it count under PPN 026 and the TOMs?
We write the commitment to the criteria the buyer has chosen, whether that's PPN 026, the National TOMs or its own model. Evaluators score the response, so the commitment names the role, the dates and the record.
What do you need from us at bid stage?
The tender reference, the return date and the buyer's jobs and skills requirement.
What happens after the first year?
They stay on your payroll as your planner. Our review ends and the record is yours.
Do we have to use your planner?
You interview a shortlist and choose. Nobody joins your team unless you pick them.
GET STARTED
Have a tender due that scores social value?
Tell us the tender reference, the return date and the buyer's jobs and skills requirement. We work with one bidder per tender. The first step is a confidential 30-minute consultation. No documents needed.
Or email info@necplanningsolutions.co.uk for the two-page summary, or call 0330 223 7709.