What are Community Benefits?

Community Benefits are additional social, economic or environmental improvements delivered by suppliers when they are awarded a Fife Council contract.

They help ensure that public spending supports local people, organisations and communities across Fife.

What is Fife Council aiming to achieve?

Through Community Benefits, Fife Council aims to:

• support local communities
• improve skills, opportunities and employment
• encourage inclusive and sustainable growth
• make best use of public money

These aims link to the Plan for Fife 2017–2027:

• Opportunities for All
• Thriving Places
• Inclusive Growth and Jobs
• Life Chances
• Community‑Led Services

What counts as a Community Benefit?

There is no fixed list. Community Benefits should:

• meet a real community need
• be relevant to the contract
• deliver clear and measurable outcomes
• be additional to normal business activity

We welcome practical and innovative ideas from suppliers working with community organisations.

Examples of Community Benefits

Examples include:

• training, work experience or placements
• support for people furthest from employment
• help for local SMEs, social enterprises or voluntary groups
• subcontracting opportunities
• school or college engagement (for example STEM activity)
• skills development or job‑shadowing

Who can make a Community Benefit request?

Requests can be made by organisations delivering benefits within Fife, including:

• registered charities and SCIOs
• CIOs registered in England and Wales (where activity is in Fife)
• Community Interest Companies with an asset lock
• Community Benefit Societies with an asset lock
• constituted not‑for‑profit and voluntary organisations
• Community Councils
• social enterprises
• churches or faith organisations (for secular activity only)
• schools, pre‑schools, nurseries
• universities and colleges

Non-constituted groups may be eligible to apply by working with an eligible organisation or independently though further checks are likely to be required.

Provide some basic details on our Community Benefits request form and we will add your request to a list which can be shared with potential Tenderers, Contractors and Procuring Officers.

Note: there is no guarantee that your request will be fulfilled.

Email communitybenefits.procurement@fife.gov.uk if you have any queries.

Requests we cannot accept

We cannot accept requests for:

• activity outside Fife
• religious promotion
• funding to individuals
• statutory or core public services
• political activity
• overseas organisations or foreign travel

Support and advice

Support is available from:

• Support for community groups - Community group support and funding
• Fife Grants - Fife grants | Fife Council
• Business Gateway Fife – advice and workshops
• Supplier Development Programme – free tendering support

For help, contact:
fifemeansbusiness@fife.gov.uk