UK Investment Company, Social Value Strategy

We provided technical leadership in developing a project-level Social Value Strategy for a major commercial development, translating the client’s social value and sustainability procurement guidance into a practical framework for the project.

We began with a Local Needs Assessment, analysing secondary socioeconomic and demographic data to establish the needs and priorities of stakeholders within the project’s immediate area of influence and wider regional context. This identified key issues including access to higher-value employment and economic opportunities, transport connectivity, housing affordability and skills development.

These findings were tested through a collaborative workshop with the design team, using the client’s Social Value Matrix to identify and prioritise themes where the project could make a meaningful contribution. Prioritisation considered both the relevance of each theme to identified local needs and the extent to which outcomes could realistically be influenced through the project’s design, delivery and operation.

We then developed an intervention framework setting out potential opportunities across the project lifecycle, including proposed activities, alignment with RIBA stages, potential delivery partners and responsibilities across the project team. A supporting KPI framework established measures for setting and monitoring performance, combining the client’s existing measurement framework with relevant industry practice and UK Social Value Model reporting metrics.

The final strategy provided a clear implementation roadmap, defining governance, responsibilities and priority actions through the next project stage. It was incorporated into the project’s Stage 2 and planning outputs, establishing social value as a core consideration within the project’s ongoing design and development.