Rail Social Value Tool FAQs
All your Rail Social Value Tool (RSVT) questions answered.
Questions have been categorised under the following key topics:
Definitions
Tool setup
Metrics
Dashboard
Support
Definitions
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What is the difference between total social value and social value return on investment (ROI)?Total social value is the sum total of the monetised values across social, environmental and economic impacts. Social value return on investment (ROI) is the calculation of the total social value generated divided by the activity spend times 100. For example, £20,000 total social value divided by £100,000 activity spend times by 100 = 20% social value return on investment (ROI). This is calculated automatically by the system.
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What is additionality analysis (including attribution, deadweight, displacement, optimism bias, drop off)?
A key step in mitigating overclaiming in social value is conducting robust additionality analysis on every valuation within the metrics in order to isolate what level of change the intervention is actually responsible for. Additionality analysis is crucial for ensuring that the true impact of projects are correctly measured. The UK government recommends the use of additionality assessments, as outlined in documents like the HM Treasury Green Book and HCA Additionality Guide, to evaluate the net impact of public policies and investments. This ensures that the analysis captures not just the gross outcomes, but the real, incremental social value added by the intervention. For more detailed information on what type of additionality analysis is included within the framework with specific examples of each, please refer to RSVT User Guide (link doc).
Tool set up
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What activity spend do I enter for operational activities rather than capex projects?
The activity spend field is mandatory when adding an activity to enable the social value ROI ratio and social value return on investment (ROI) to be calculated. When adding in an activity (project) that isn't a Capex project, you will need to calculate an activity spend for the activity or project.
For example, say you want to calculate the social value of volunteering activities (such as through inputting workforce volunteer hours). You could calculate the activity spend from the day rate or pro-rated rate of each volunteer plus any project and travel costs associated.
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What are the levels of access and what can people with those access levels do?
There are three types of access to the tool. Organisation administrator, regular user, and supply chain user. Please see below for more information on permissions for each role.
Organisation administrator: In effect, this is a super user permission. This user will have full access and visibility to all data on the platform for your organisation, as well as access to admin features such as editing organisational hierarchy structure, creating tags, importing bespoke frameworks and adding supply chain users.
Regular user: This role has limited visibility of data based on the division of the hierarchy you are assigned to by the org admin, you still have access to all functions apart from admin functions. Please speak with your organisation administrator if you need this functionality so they can update your permissions.
Supply chain user: This user is assigned to an activity or a specific metric in an activity by an organisation administrator. The user will only have access to the data they enter, they won’t be able to see other supply chain users data or data entered by the account owner unless specifically assigned to that data. They have access to a dashboard to view their own contributions.
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What activity details can I change after a project has been set up?
You can change all details on any stage of an activity apart from the ‘Start date’ on a monitor activity. However, this can be updated by contacting the RSVT help desk.
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What source is the list of regions, sub-regions and local authorities from?
Office for National Statistics
https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/geography/ukgeographies/eurostat
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Where can I see a map to local authorities, to help me find the right one for my project?
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One individual needs to be the Divisional Admin for more than one Division, but it’s causing problems (for example, they can't view some saved projects).User permissions have been updated to organisation admin and regular user. An organisation admin has top level access and will be able to view activities across all divisions within the hierarchy. A regular user can also be given access to multiple divisions by editing their permissions on the ‘Organisation’ tab within the admin panel on the platform.
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How can I add a new organisational admin?
At present, organisational admins can only be set up by RSSB.
Details of how to do this are provided in in the Support section at the end of the page. You will need to state your organisation, the person’s name and their email address.
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Do I need to have an activity spend when setting up a new activity?Yes, activity value is a mandatory field and will allow the social value return on investment (ROI) to be calculated on the dashboard.
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What is the difference between £0 showing up in the tool and N/A?N/A represents non-monetized, £0 represents zero value.
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Can the same email address be the Divisional Admin for multiple divisions?
Yes. A user can now have access to multiple divisions. User permissions have been updated to organisation admin and regular user. An organisation admin has top level access and will be able to view activities across all divisions within the hierarchy. A regular user can also be given access to multiple divisions by editing their permissions on the ‘Organisation’ tab within the admin panel on the platform. Please see answer above on what levels of access are available for each user.
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Does the tool align with TAG (Transport Appraisal Guide) and STAG (Scottish Transport Analysis Guide)?
Metrics are not currently aligned with TAG or STAG values due to differences in methodologies that are not easily transferable to a social cost benefit analysis model without the risk of double count. STAG and TAG values will continue to be looked at with the possibility of incorporation/alignment within the next iteration/update.
That being said, there are a vast amount of metrics in the RSVT system that cover similar aspects to the TAG/STAG data books that are reportable against from a social value perspective. Typically, TAG/STAG will take an economic CBA approach for appraisal that does not take into account more of the social (wellbeing) aspects which is what social value aims to do. They both have their advantages and should not be considered one and the same as they are completely separate in their (appraisal) purposes.
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What is the character limit for activity name and description?
150 characters for the activity name.
65,000 characters for the description.
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Is it possible to delete a Supply Chain User from the "Manage Users" list?
Within the admin panel built into the menu there is a specific section labelled ‘supply chain users’ where you can add, edit and delete supply chain users. -
A Network Rail Supply Chain User is seeing multiple activities and divisions that they aren't connected to. How can this be fixed?
Find out if the Supply Chain User has been registered as an organisation admin or as a regular user for the organisation by mistake. If so, delete the incorrect accounts and assign them to the correct activity as a supply chain user. Supply chain users can only see activities or metrics they are assigned to. If they have access to any other data, follow steps above or contact RSVT help desk. -
Can a Supply Chain User be allocated to more than one activity?
Yes, a single email address can be used as a ‘Supply Chain User’ for multiple activities across the RSVT. But, that same email address cannot be used as another type of User or Admin in elsewhere in the RSVT. -
A colleague has been assigned with a new role in the RSVT, but they can't see the information they should see when logged in.
Ask an organisational admin to look at their organisation hierarchy and check the user list. They should be able to see where the user is assigned and what data should be visible as well as any permissions. If user is assigned to incorrect division or has wrong permissions the org admin can correct from there. If there is no obvious error, raise to RSVT help desk. -
Why can’t Supply Chain User see the metrics that I have set up in an activity?
Supply chain users will only see activities or metrics they are assigned to, unless you add them directly to the metric or they create their own they will not see the metrics you have created.
Metrics
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Activity monitoring: what value do I need to input when monitoring Full Time Equivalent (FTE) metrics versus other metrics?
When entering data in the monitoring stage, any metric that is measured in FTE’s (such as new employees) will need to follow the same process of entering the live or active full time equivalents in each reporting period.
For all other metrics, data will need to be entered relating to that month. For example, how many tonnes of waste were diverted to Landfill that month, quarter, and so on?
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How is the biodiversity net gain defined?
This metric is defined as the net change in biodiversity reporting units. This is a metric with data taken from Natural England that measures the biodiversity of different habitats. This is assumed to be a commitment to the land staying this way for 30 years. Where relevant, it should exceed the 10% improvement overall in biodiversity change (biodiversity net gain), if not per entry but overall.
More information on biodiversity net gain can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/biodiversity-net-gain
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How can I enter data for a part-time employment, as I can only see full-time indicators?Enter the appropriate proportion for a full-time employee. For example 0.5 for a part-time employee of 17 to 20 hours per week.
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How is Gross Value Add (GVA) calculated within the RSVT?
The average GVA per worker per Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) region (Office for National Statistics data) is applied to the user-entered data for the average number of full-time employees across the duration of the project.
GVA is still available as an optional measure for now for those who rely on it, but it will not feed into the social value totals and the framework does not endorse GVA as representing social value. Please refer to the user guide for more information.
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Where can I see the specific monetised values associated with each metric in the library?Those values aren't shared because there is intellectual property ownership associated with them.
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Can I mandate metrics in the tool?No metrics can be mandated in the tool.
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Are LM3 and GVA included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and 4 Capitals Dashboards?No, LM3 and GVA are not included in the SDG or 4 Capitals dashboard. GVA and LM3 are still available as an optional measure for now for those who rely on it. But, it will not feed into the social value totals and the framework does not endorse GVA or LM3 as representing social value. Please refer to the user guide for more information.
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I want to see the sum total against each metric for my division or organisation, how can I do that?This is not currently an option within the tool. However, you can see a social value break down of the top 10 highest returning metrics on the organisation dashboard. Filters can then be applied using the menu in the top right to filter for your chosen organisation or division.
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How can I record use of e-learning, such as Supply Chain School e-learning modules?Use the following monetised indicator ‘Training > Hourly’ under the ‘Health, training, and skills’ category to capture e-learning.
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As a supply chain user, I cannot see the metrics within an activity.
As a supply chain user you can only see metrics that you have set up or assigned to. If you wish to be able to see all activities and data for the organisation or division, you will need to be assigned to the relevant activities or metrics, or set up as a regular user.
Dashboards
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How can an Organisational Admin review the dashboards or performance of a single Division or a group of Divisions (including all projects feeding in)?
Filters can be applied on the main dashboard using the menu in the top right to filter for your chosen organisation or division. This will include all activity data.
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The term 'regions' do not seem to be Network Rail regions. What are they?
In the RSVT, ‘regions’ refers to the nine highest tiers of sub-national divisions in England, Scotland, and Wales. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports data against these regions.
They are different to Network Rail’s five regions.
Support
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How can I log a RSVT request or issue?
- If you don’t already have an RSSB account, you can register for one on our website registration page.
- Go to our customer self-service portal
- Click ‘create case’. You’ll be asked to log in.
- Complete the ‘Open a New Case’ form. Choose the relevant ‘Rail Social Value Tool’ case category.
- Press ‘submit’ (bottom right).
- You’ll see a ‘My Cases’ dashboard (below).
- You will receive an acknowledgment email for the submission.
- An RSSB specialist will respond via email.
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Where can i find the definitions for each metric?The metric definitions are provided within the tool when selecting the desired metric. There is also a publicly available version of definitions attached to the list of metrics.
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Can i create my own non-monetised metrics?Yes, to create your own non-monetised metrics follow the usual steps of adding a metric. Then choose the category ‘Non-monetised’ > ‘Other’ and enter the relevant data in the fields provided.
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How can i access the admin panel within the tool?To access the admin panel, click the three white lines in the top left corner of the tool and click ‘Admin’ from the main tool bar. Only organisation admins have the permission to add, edit, or delete data on the available options other than your account details.
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What is a tag and how do i use it?Tagging is a feature that allows you to ‘tag’ either an activity or metric with specific key words. You can then filter by these set ‘tags’ on dashboards allowing you to group projects or metrics together for quick reporting. For example, tagging an activity related to a specific station, client, or type of initiative. You can also create categories for these tags to sit in such as departments or stations.
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How do i tag an activity to a certain station?In the admin panel, you can select the tagging feature within this section you can create tags and categories for those tags. For example, creating a category for stations and adding multiple tags within this section for individual stations. When creating an activity, you can then assign these tags on the activity details page and when adding a metric.
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I want to be able to group contracts, projects and sub-projects together, can I do this?We have a feature in the admin panel, called ‘organisation’ that allows you to assign users and activities/projects to specific divisions and regions within your organisation hierarchy. Please see software user guide for more details on this.
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What does the 'cloning' button within an activity?Users can now clone activities across multiple activities, customising each clone and the metrics within to fit your specific requirements. This will save you valuable time and ensures a high level of consistency to reporting across your projects.
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How do I toggle between my organisation data and the data I enter as a supply chain user for another organisation?If you are a regular user for your organisation but also a supply chain user for another organisation using the tool, you will have the option to toggle between your main account data and your supply chain data. On the main dashboard, there will be a toggle in the top tight corner labelled ‘Organisation’ this means you currently viewing your main account data. If you click this toggle the dashboard will update to show your supply chain user account data and it will now display ‘Supply chain’.
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What filters are available on the main dashboard?
The filtering options have been updated to provide more reporting options on the main dashboard. The filters can be accessed by clicking the blue circle button in the top right corner of the dashboard next to where it says ‘clear filters’. There are numerous options and they can be used together to give multiple options of reporting.
The options for filtering are: social value framework, hierarchy, type of activity, unique reference, location, date, tags. Two options to include archived activity data and carbon metric data.
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What filters are available on the activity dashboard?
The filtering options have been updated to provide more reporting options on the activity dashboard. The filters can be accessed by clicking the blue circle button in the top right corner of the dashboard next to where it says ‘clear filters’. There are two options available.
The options for filtering are: tags; whether to include carbon metric data.
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Can i create supply chain users to add to an activity at a later time?Within the ‘Supply chain users’ section of the admin panel organisation admins have the ability to create supply chain users to be added to an activity at a later date. This will give the user a login for the platform but access to no activities or metrics until assigned.
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How do i assign a supply chain user to a specific metric?When adding a metric to an activity there is a field labelled ‘Supply chain user’. Users can choose from pre-existing supply chain users from the drop-down menu or create a new one by adding their name, organisation, email and any notes.
