Social value is at the heart of how we do business at Willmott Dixon. From the way we procure goods and services to the impact we have on the communities we work in; we consider how our actions enable an array of business and community stakeholders to thrive and prosper.
We achieved a social return on investment of more than £577m in 2023.
In recognition of our social value-based activity, Willmott Dixon was honoured with one of the first ever King’s Awards for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity. The only construction company to receive an award in 2023, we were one of nine prize-winners nationally to get the royal seal of approval for our work to enhance the life opportunities of others.
Supporting people
Our success depends on the skill, knowledge, integrity and commitment of our people. We enable them to give their best by supporting them to be happy at work and making sure they can achieve their full potential. You can find out more about how we attract, retain, develop and promote the people working for Willmott Dixon in the 'Our people' section of this report.
Our responsibility to ensure ethical working practices extends to supporting people who work for our supply chain, business partners and other organisations.
In 2023, 82% of our people took part in social activities, giving up nearly 13,000 hours of their time to interact with more than 52,000 people.
Our dedication to social value was recognised with a Client’s Choice Award at the Procure Partnerships framework awards where we were nominated for our work around the Bolton College of Medical Sciences and Oldham’s Spindles Shopping Centre.
Local Procurement
With around 80% of our turnover spent on the procurement of goods, works and services, we can support local businesses and employment by choosing to spend a project’s budget locally.
In 2023, 81.5% of spend for completed projects procured on the Scape framework was within 40 miles with 76.4% of people employed on site living within 40 miles.
Working with social businesses
Now or Never sets targets for spending with social businesses and encourages widespread industry engagement by improving access to the goods and services they offer. By supporting businesses, our reach is greater than if we support individuals alone. This helps us make sure that social value is a consideration at every stage, from what we procure, through to the products and services we offer.
Social businesses might be social enterprises, registered charities or not-for-profit organisations that we have a trading relationship with, Community Interest Companies, or those with a predominantly social or environmental purpose. All of which have been externally verified by Social Enterprise UK, the UK’s leading body for social enterprises.
In 2023, we channelled more of our spend through social businesses than ever - spending £4.87 million with 143 organisations - an 88% increase since 2022. One of the ways we work with social businesses to make a difference is by using recruitment agencies that help people facing barriers to employment.
In collaboration with partners like We Are Social Enterprise (WASE) – a recruitment agency focused on helping people most distant from the labour market into construction – we help people find good careers. Tailored to the construction industry, WASE registers candidates from backgrounds including ex-offenders, ex-military, care leavers and the local unemployed, and supports them into work. Since 2021, WASE has helped recruit and place 477 individuals in direct roles with Willmott Dixon or with roles through our supply chain partners on our projects.
(Above) Vickie Thornton, Assistant Social Value Manager, working on a project with Brandon Cope, Senior Recruitment Consultant and Social Value Lead at We Are Social Enterprise.
Another recruitment agency we work with is We Are Footprint, a social enterprise based in the North West, providing temporary staffing solutions to the UK construction industry. Their mission is to provide training and create training opportunities for disadvantaged priority groups through honest and ethical recruitment practices. In 2023, we spent £1,258,266.14 with We Are Footprint - a 430% increase from 2022. During 2023, We Are Footprint provided employment for 51 people, including three ex-offenders, delivered ten employment workshops, donated 75 support hours and 149 mentoring hours, made eight visits to prisons, six visits to local schools and provided ten CITB Training Courses to benefit the local community.
Watch Ash’s story (below) to find out how this social business helped him return to employment.
Ethical Supply Chains
Our Sustainable Procurement Policy stipulates our preference to work and engage with partners who are undertaking initiatives to promote greater environmental and social responsibility. Our policy also outlines our preference to work with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and social businesses. 95% of our supply chain partners are SMEs.
Modern Slavery
As a major contractor, we take our responsibility for tackling modern slavery and improving the construction sector’s reputation seriously. According to figures from Unseen’s Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline, Modern slavery and labour abuse in the construction industry are on the rise. To make sure our business is prepared for this unique set of challenges, we stipulate that all our supply chain partners must comply with the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and Willmott Dixon’s Modern Slavery policy.
We work to improve standards for our people and our supply chain. We are members of SCAPE’s Modern Slavery and Ethical Labour Working Group, the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s Modern Slavery Working Group, as well as signatories of the Gangmasters’ and Labour Abuse Authority’s Construction Protocol and the People Matter Charter.
In 2023, we provided modern slavery training to 91 supply chain partners who provide higher-risk trades, supporting them to spot the signs and mitigate the risk within their business and on our sites.
In collaboration with Scape’s Ethical Labour Working Group, we completed a series of audits on our project sites in addition to our higher-risk supply chain partners. We've also updated and made available our Right to Work guidance for employers via the Supply Chain Sustainability School.
In our latest assessment using the Home Office’s Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT), we scored 89%. We use the MSAT to understand where the greatest risks lie in our supply chain and make continual improvements through the development of our Modern Slavery Action Plan.
Prompt payment
We know how important cash-flow is to our supply chain partners. In 2023, our average payment time was 28 days and we paid 99% of our invoices within 60 days. As well as giving our partners more confidence to work with us, this shows that our cash position does not rely on unfair supply chain payment terms or on holding back payments.
Real Living Wage
We are a Real Living Wage (RLW) Recognised Service Provider, certified by the Living Wage Foundation. We pay the RLW to all directly employed Willmott Dixon people, excluding apprentices and first- and second-year management trainees, and we promote the RLW throughout our supply chain.