TeamSCAPE win at National Social Value Awards 2021

The Social Value Awards, organised by the Social Value Portal, were held during the National Social Value Conference this week. The awards, now in their third year, highlight best practice from around the UK, and showcase how sectors and businesses embed social value within their operations.

The Framework Leadership Award celebrates the framework provider that has most successfully embedded social value into its frameworks and can show it actively engages with its customers and partners to maximise value against need.

As a leading public sector owned procurement authority, we believe that we have the responsibility to take a leadership role in the development of social value outcomes. As such, social value is embedded right at the heart of everything SCAPE does.

Social value is generated both directly through the activities of SCAPE and our delivery partners, and indirectly by regulating supplier behaviour through framework procurement and thought leadership. Because social value is included in our procurement process, the organisations that become SCAPE framework delivery partners are those for whom delivering social value is “business as usual”.

We have worked closely with the Social Value Portal since 2013, to implement the National TOMs, and other valuable KPIs, as the basis of social value delivery across all SCAPE and SCAPE Scotland Civil Engineering, Construction, and Consultancy frameworks for the public and private sectors. This gives our 1,000 clients the flexibility to set appropriate social value targets that align with their policies, targets, and local needs.

Sharing best practice with SCAPE framework delivery partners has resulted in greater innovation and impact, with partners driving improved standards throughout many of their operations, not just for SCAPE projects. Examples of social value delivery from the last year include:

• Balfour Beatty delivered the UK's first all-electric vehicle charging forecourt, marking a significant step towards the country’s green aspirations, and recorded over 2 million hours worked without a Lost Time Incident (LTI) in 2020. This fantastic milestone was achieved in 11 months across 62 projects for 43 clients, worth a combined total of £631m.
• Kier, through the Hwb Cyfle Flintshire Adult Day Care Centre project, created £3.7million in social value, five new jobs and six new apprentices.
• Willmott Dixon, through the St Patrick’s Church renovation project, teamed up with students on construction courses at Greater Brighton Metropolitan College. In eight weeks, they built 29 units that provided temporary accommodation for local homeless people, as well as giving students valuable ‘hands-on’ experience of building work.
• Wates partnered with Novus, a social enterprise delivering learning, employment, and rehabilitation support to offenders in prison and on release. Through the partnership, Wates provided a sector-based training day for 11 people preparing to leave prison to improve their employability skills, with certified sessions on Health and Safety and CSCS card training. The team have gone on to mentor and support the offenders, preparing them to secure work after release.
• Lendlease launched their Single Use Plastics Ambassador Virtual Work Experience Programme using the same principals as Learning in Lockdown. They’ve successfully delivered a 30-hour programme, accredited by Engineering Development Trust, to two school groups so far, including a SEND school.