The cyber resilience of social enterprises and SMEs is now being supported through public buying within the Pluggin Marketplace.
A mix of National Cyber Resilience Centre Group (NCRCG) support and the contract social value (equipment and knowledge exchange volunteering) from technology suppliers to the emergency services, councils, NHS and criminal justice services is available to support the online economic safety and resilience of the social enterprise (SE) and Small Medium Enterprise (SME) communities.
From September 2025, SE and SME teams can directly access fully funded membership and support via the NCRCG, with additional business-led social value support through the contracting process which sees equipment and specialist support built into the Service Level Agreements of hundreds of supply contracts (emergncy services, councils, NHS and criminal justice services).
Launched within the West Midlands Region of the Pluggin Marketplace...
WM Cyber Resilience Centre (WMCRC)
Covering the districts of the West Midlands, and counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Hereford, Shropshire and Staffordshire, the WMCRC are using the latest local as well as national information on emerging cyber threats, criminal trends, best practice for cyber resilience and new technology to provide SE and SME teams with timely guidance and support to prepare and protect their operations, staff and clients from cyber criminals.
Police Contract Social Value
Through the buying of goods and services within the police force areas of West Midlands, Warwickshire, West Mercia and Staffordshire supplier social value (the legal requirement of a social return on investment) is now being targeted into SE and SME support. The Pluggin Marketplace enables technology suppliers to use their ability to re-purpose legacy ICT equipment and offer in-house expertise as a social value support for the local SE and SMEs locked within police supply contracts.
Supplier Social Value - Bids and Contracts
Businesses suppliers of all sizes possess valuable skills and expertise which can be built-into their community social value collaborations within all areas of the Pluggin Marketplace.
This is a powerful and relevant way of deploying existing workforce volunteering as Skills Exchange - directly in support of the strategic objectives of the National Cyber Resilience Centre network of 9 regional teams.
Within bids created within the Pluggin Marketplace, suppliers complete the Volunteering hours section of the Social Purchase Order (SPO) process - detailing the specific skills exchange being offered, how these hours will be accounted for and in what time-frame. Pluggin will then do the rest of the tracking and measurement with the charity/social enterprise/SME named within the SPO when the contract is awarded and the SPO is locked-into the supply contract.
BONUS: Because community cyber safety and resilience a national strategic objective of England and Wales, Pluggin tracks the data and details of supplier hours, provisions, beneficiaries and feedback. This then helps shape future policy and practice at civil service levels.