Social Return
ibhs
Social Return
One of SAHBS’s key priorities is the implementation of Social Return on Investment (SROI). SAHBS is committed to supporting companies and public sector clients in meeting their social return obligations. SAHBS students will play an active role in these projects, allowing them not only to gain practical experience but also to contribute to social causes.
Social return offers an excellent opportunity to promote inclusivity and sustainable growth. Through SAHBS, students can contribute to:
- Creating job opportunities for people who are distanced from the labor market.
- Helping companies achieve social impact.
- Promoting diversity and inclusion in business operations.
About Us
Studentbedrijf Amsterdam HBO Business School (SAHBS) is a unique initiative of IBHS – Amsterdam HBO Business School, a privately funded educational institution that focuses on students between the ages of 17 and 28 from the Greater Amsterdam region and beyond. SAHBS offers students the opportunity to gain practical experience in a dynamic and business-oriented environment, allowing them to directly apply their knowledge and skills in real-world settings.
The student-run business was founded with the goal of bridging the gap between theory and practice. At SAHBS, students work on various business activities that align with the six thematic areas of focus in IBHS’s degree programs:
- Business and Entrepreneurship
- Creative Business & Innovation
- Business Technology & Artificial Intelligence
- International Business & Sustainability
- Value-Based Business Management
- Personal Development & Critical Thinking
Our Mission
SAHBS’s mission is to offer students a unique, hands-on learning experience. The student-run company enables students to develop leadership, operational, and strategic skills by working on real-world business projects. This experience prepares them for the complexities of the business world and gives them the opportunity to discover their talents, realize their ambitions, and make a lasting impact.
Through SAHBS, IBHS aims to make education more dynamic and help students develop essential skills such as:
- Entrepreneurial Ability and Action Orientation
- Creativity and Innovative Thinking
- International and Business Mindset
Through SAHBS, students gain a head start in their professional careers by being given the opportunity to run a business, identify business opportunities, and develop innovative solutions.
How does social return work?
Social return is applied to contracts awarded by public entities, such as municipalities, provinces, or national governments. These entities can encourage or require contractors to involve people from vulnerable groups in the implementation of a project. This can be done, for example, by offering work experience or providing training.
Through social return, the government ensures that investments yield not only a financial return but also social benefits. The value of employing people who are distanced from the labor market is calculated and may be deducted from the social return requirement. Compliance with these obligations is often monitored through systems such as WIZZR. If these obligations are not met, the contracting authority may impose sanctions, such as fines.
The Importance of Social Return
Social return has several benefits, both for society and for the business community:
- More opportunities in the job market: It offers people who are distanced from the job market the opportunity to gain work experience and further develop their skills.
- Reducing unemployment: Social return helps reduce unemployment and cuts costs associated with unemployment benefits.
- Inclusive labor market: It demonstrates that everyone has valuable qualities and offers employers the opportunity to conduct business in a socially responsible manner.
Target Audience: Social Return
The target group for social return includes a wide variety of people who are temporarily or long-term excluded from the regular labor market. This may be due to:
- Economic reasons, such as bankruptcy or layoff.
- Personal circumstances, such as providing informal care or medical issues.
- Limited education or work experience.
Despite their diverse backgrounds, these individuals are often highly motivated to get to work. Social return helps them put their skills to use and find a sustainable place in the labor market.
Social Return Administration
The contractor is responsible for maintaining the records related to social return. These records demonstrate how the social return obligations have been fulfilled and are reported to the public contracting authority.
Many clients use standard methods, such as the building-block method, to determine the value of the work performed. The reports are usually processed through systems such as WIZZR, which is widely used by contractors for monitoring and evaluation.
FAQ
Social Return at SAHBS: Implementation Options
Job Creation
Opportunities at SAHBS:
SAHBS can hire interns from vulnerable groups, such as young people without work experience or the long-term unemployed. This can be done through partnerships with municipal re-entry programs or social work companies. Students can help support these individuals throughout their journey.
Production:
- Hiring people who are distanced from the labor market.
- Use students as mentors or buddies for new employees. This could include things like putting up stickers
Subcontracting and Collaboration with Social Enterprises
Application at SAHBS:
SAHBS can form strategic partnerships with social enterprises to outsource certain services, such as catering, cleaning, etc. This also provides an opportunity for students to learn about sustainable procurement and social impact.
Production:
- Collaborating with social enterprises in Amsterdam, such as sheltered workshops.
- Involve students in establishing these partnerships.
Apprenticeship Programs and Internships
Application at SAHBS:
SAHBS can offer work-study positions and internships to people who are distanced from the labor market, for example in administrative or logistics roles within the student-run business.
Implementation:
- Offering internships to people who are distanced from the labor market
- Students can participate in mentoring interns.
Investments in community projects
Application at SAHBS:
SAHBS can involve students in community projects, such as workshops for uneducated youth, school renovations, or support for neighborhood initiatives.
Implementation:
- Organizing volunteer days or community projects in Amsterdam.
- Position SAHBS as a partner in social initiatives.
Training and Development
Application at SAHBS:
SAHBS can offer customized training programs to people who are distanced from the labor market. This can be done through short courses or workshops that align with IBHS’s thematic focus areas, such as entrepreneurship or technological skills. Consider, for example, Allego’s presentation “This Is How We Can Do It, Too.”
Production:
- Offer free or sponsored training sessions.
- Involve students in the development and delivery of these training sessions.
Diversification of the supply chain
Application at SAHBS:
This point can be integrated by collaborating with suppliers that focus on social impact, such as sustainable and inclusive companies.
Implementation:
- Involve students in the research and selection of suppliers.
- Consciously choosing social entrepreneurs as suppliers.
Social Impact Measurement and Reporting
Application at SAHBS:
SAHBS can report on the social impact the company generates, such as the number of people who have received support, internships that have been created, or community projects in which the company has participated.
Implementation:
- Students learn how to prepare reports on social impact.
- Publishing annual impact reports.
Social Return in Public Procurement
Social return is increasingly becoming a mandatory component of tenders, especially for contracts worth €50,000 or more. The requirement is typically calculated as a percentage of the total contract amount (usually 5%).
Failure to comply with these obligations may result in penalties, such as fines, which are specified in advance in the contract.
Social Return and IBHS
At IBHS, we view social return as an opportunity to align employment with our mission of personal development and sustainable growth. With our expertise in education and guidance, we help companies meet their social return obligations while making a real impact on society.
Would you like to learn more about how IBHS can help you implement social return? Please contact us!
FAQ: Social Return
What is social return?
Social return (SROI) is a provision in a procurement contract aimed at creating more employment opportunities for people who are distanced from the labor market. In the Netherlands, there are more than 1 million people who fall within the social return target group.
How does social return work?
When awarding contracts (through competitive bidding), government procurement officers can encourage or require the contractor to involve vulnerable groups in the labor market in the execution of the contract—a concept known as Social Return on Investment (SROI). By applying the social return principle, the government ensures that an investment yields a concrete social benefit in addition to the “regular” return. By employing people who are distanced from the labor market, a social return value is created that may be deducted from the social return obligation. Accountability is managed through a social return monitoring system such as WIZZR. If a contractor fails to meet the agreed-upon obligation, this often results in a fine being imposed by the (public) contracting authority.
The Importance of Social Return?
SROI (Social Return on Investment) ensures that people who are often not the first choice are given another chance in the labor market. Everyone has qualities; it’s just that some people need guidance to bring those qualities to light. At the same time, social return helps reduce unemployment. This allows the government and public sector clients to save on the costs of unemployment benefits.
How does the social return reporting process work?
In a social return project, the contractor is responsible for maintaining the social return records. These records demonstrate the contractor’s social return efforts. We can handle all of your social return record-keeping for you.
The social return records must then be reported to the (public) client. The (public) client verifies whether the contractor has fulfilled the agreed-upon SR obligation.
Many (public) clients use the building-block method to determine the value of the social return commitment. A fixed value is applied to each activity. Other (public) clients consider the total costs incurred to hire one or more people from the target group.
SR administration is almost always handled through WIZZR, a social return monitoring system used by many large contractors to track their social return efforts. GreenFox is the only company accredited by WIZZR and can handle all of your SR administration for you.
enforcement and fines
There may be instances where contractors, due to circumstances, do not (fully) meet the established social return obligation. Most municipalities include a penalty clause in the contract to impose consequences for failure to meet this obligation.
What is the purpose of social return?
Social return is intended to ensure that investments made by municipal or national governments yield not only a financial return but also tangible social benefits. Social Return creates opportunities for “people who are distanced from the labor market” and ensures that, with the right support, these individuals can regain a permanent place in the labor market.
What is the target group for social return?
The “social return” target group—people who are distanced from the labor market—includes over 1 million people! It’s a massive group that includes (or could include) people like you and me. Anyone who has been outside the regular labor market for a certain number of months belongs to the “distanced from the labor market” target group. The length of this period varies by municipality, as each municipality has its own social return policy.
These people may find themselves out of work (temporarily) for various reasons. For example, due to their employer’s bankruptcy, the non-renewal of an employment contract for economic reasons, a sabbatical, temporarily caring for a family member, personal circumstances, a lack of suitable (advanced) education, etc.
As you can imagine, there’s a wide range of qualities among them. What they have in common is that almost all of them are highly motivated to get back on track!
What are the cancellation policies?
The cancellation policy is listed on the back of the study agreement, on our website, and has been filed with the Chamber of Commerce.
1. September Intake
a. An Agreement may be canceled and terminated in writing without stating a reason before July 1, prior to the start of the program, within fourteen (14) days of its signing. In that case, the Institution agrees to refund the registration fee minus one hundred euros (€100) in administrative fees. In the event of cancellation or termination after fourteen (14) days but before July 1, prior to the start of the program, the full registration fee is due.
b. In the event of cancellation or withdrawal between July 1 and September 1 prior to the start of the program, the student is required to pay the full registration fee, as well as ten percent (10%) of the total program costs for the first academic year.
c. In the event of cancellation or termination after September 1, prior to the start of the program or during the program, the student is liable, as of the cancellation date, not only for the monthly installments already due but also for a “cancellation fee” equal to thirty-five percent (35%) of the total program costs for the academic year in question.
d. For these purposes, a partial month counts as a full month.
2. January Enrollment
a. An Agreement may be canceled and terminated in writing without stating a reason before December 1, prior to the start of the program, within fourteen (14) days of its signing. In that case, the Institution agrees to refund the registration fee minus one hundred euros (€100) in administrative fees. In the event of cancellation or termination after fourteen (14) days but before December 1, prior to the start of the program, the full registration fee is due.
b. In the event of cancellation or withdrawal between December 1 and January 1 prior to the start of the program, the full registration fee, as well as ten percent (10%) of the total program costs for the first academic year, is due.
c. In the event of cancellation or termination after January 1, prior to the start of the program or during the program, the student is liable, as of the cancellation date, not only for the monthly installments already due but also for a “cancellation fee” equal to thirty-five percent (35%) of the total program costs for the academic year in question.
d. For these purposes, a partial month counts as a full month.
What is the target group for social return?
Social Return is increasingly being included as a contractual requirement in tenders, even for contracts as low as €50,000. The amount of the social return obligation is determined as a percentage of the total wage or contract value of the tender. In most cases, 5% of the total contract value is applied.
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What is social return?
Social Return on Investment (SROI) is a provision in a procurement contract aimed at creating more employment opportunities for people who are distanced from the labor market. In the Netherlands, more than 1 million people belong to this target group. Social return not only contributes to employment but also to a more inclusive and socially responsible society.