UK SBS BLOJEU-CR16091BIS Identifying social as in the BEIS Longitudinal Small Business Survey

Tender description

There is a HMG manifesto commitment ‘to give more people the power and support to start their own social enterprise’. As part of this the Office for Civil Society (OCS, formerly in Cabinet Office and now in DCMS) and BEIS support social enterprise and, historically, the Cabinet Office has produced a bi-annual report on social enterprise market trends in the UK. The analysis in these reports has been drawn from the BEIS Longitudinal Small Business Survey (LSBS). This new research is being commissioned in response to changing market trends. There has been an increase in businesses that are making a long-term commitment to social or environmental impact but are also making profits. These organisations can take a variety of organisations forms (including traditional CLSs, registered social enterprises and CICs). This research aims to enable HMG to better understand these businesses and to test and improve the data collecting methodologies used in relation to social enterprises/mission-led businesses. The concept of social enterprise is quite difficult to define and so there are some challenges with the historical self-identification process. This research should ensure that HMG has the most robust and accurate data on social enterprise market trends in the UK.