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Month: November 2022

The Fairness, Inclusion & Respect Steering Group recently recruited five new members from across the industry

 

Ella Anderson – Project Management Apprentice, Mace Group

“Ella is undertaking a degree apprenticeship with Mace in Project Management; alongside her work she is completing a construction management degree. Since joining the company, Ella quickly became involved with various Diversity and Inclusion events to enhance her existing knowledge and understanding, while helping guide and teach others. Upon witnessing the benefits of working in a diverse and inclusive workplace, Ella hopes to contribute to the important work of the FIR steering group by encouraging openness and breaking existing stigmas within the industry. Ella also wants to encourage a younger generation into joining the industry by aiding the creation of more inclusive workspaces.”

Charlotte Baker – Head of HR, Colas

“Charlotte Baker is Head of HR, having been promoted from HR Business Partner in 2021 and has worked for Colas Ltd since the 1st August 2018. In her current role, Charlotte is responsible for designing and managing the implementation of HR, Learning & Development, and Resourcing strategies that support the delivery of the overall business strategy. Charlotte is responsible for translating people plans into companywide actions that are fully aligned with the business’ People Strategy and leads on the business EDI strategy – continuing the Company’s journey to becoming a truly diverse business. Charlotte has over 20 years’ experience in complex, multi-site, construction and manufacturing businesses and specialises in employee relations, employment law, equality, diversity, and inclusion strategies, change management and employee engagement. Charlotte is a passionate advocate and champion for change in the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda, with success in implementing strategies to increase active participation companywide.”

Peter Ball – Group Commercial & Compliance Director, Fortel Group.

“A legal, regulatory, compliance and commercial expert. Peter has a wealth of experience operating at a senior level within the Recruitment, Telecommunications and Construction Industries. Currently the Group Commercial & Compliance Director for the Fortel Group, Peter has first-hand experience from a Tier 1 Contractor perspective as well as being able to provide a view from a Labour Provider/Tier 2 Contractor on many aspects, including FIR and Labour Provider Governance/ best practice.”

Shelley Caton – Director Diversity & Inclusion, BAM UK&I

“I have been a proud employee of BAM for over 16 years, and have seen such a transition in terms of our understanding of inclusion through society, our business, our customers and our people. I  have had a varied career in an number of people focused roles and have always been fascinated in the links between engagement and performance. BAM are going through a very exciting process of change, with inclusion at the heart so we are currently delivering a huge education programme and I am really keen that we maximise on the benefits that FIR programme has to offer our industry. I hope to bring to the team some creative insights and critical challenge so that we can continue to deliver exactly what our industry needs in order to ensure a sustainable future and be an attractive career proposition to a diverse population of talent.”

Christina Scant – Group Head of HR, Core Highways Group.

“We have taken lots of positive actions and are starting to collect data to measure our progress on EDI. We are a Disability Confident Leader accredited business and have an EDI action plan to ensure our activities are planned and have a positive impact. What I bring to the group is the voice of smaller organisations within the Tier 1 supply chain that are starting their EDI journey and might find tackling this issue overwhelming at times. My company and I have a commitment and genuine belief in EDI as the principles of FIR align to both my personal values and my organisations professional values.”

Other Steering Group members:
Aaron Reid (Morgan Sindall)
Belinda Blake (National Highways)
Briony Wickenden (CECA South)
Charlotte Baker (Colas)
Christina Scant (Core Highways)
Emer Murnaghan (Graham Construction)
Emma Shakespeare (Laing O’Rourke)
Osita Madu (HS2)
Paul Aldridge (WJ Group)
Ripesh Patel (Network Rail)
Shelley Caton (BAM)
Stephen Cole (CITB)
Stuart Coates (TfL)

Since the launch of the School’s Carbon Calculator under a year ago, over 1,400 suppliers have registered to report their emissions, with 40% now actively reporting their data. The standardised approach to the way our industry measures emissions is helping to simplify reporting requirements from clients and main contractors to their supply chains, and is giving Partners an accurate picture of their own scope 3 emissions, and that of the wider industry.

With 80-99% of the built environment’s total carbon footprint coming from their supply chain, the Carbon Calculator is playing an integral role in supporting businesses in their fight against climate change.

Due to the success of the Carbon Calculator, the School have significantly increased our investment in the technology and staff supporting the system, resulting in a change to the Partner fee structure from 2023 onwards. The Calculator will continue to be free to use and report for all suppliers, however, Partners will only be given access to supplier dashboards (scope 3 carbon reporting tool) as a Level 2 Partner or above.

You can view the new fee structure, communicated October 2021, and associated Partner benefits here.

Or to find out more about your options as a Partner, and how to make the most of the Carbon Calculator, please get in touch with the team.

A new report, published by the Supply Chain Sustainability School, Akerlof and the University of Salford, has been launched to support clients and supply chain organisations on how to enhance the benefits of the social value created through the use of offsite manufacture.

In the face of urgent challenges – including the need to rapidly decarbonise, combat growing poverty and inequality, and address the cost-of-living crisis – what and how the industry build is crucial. Offsite construction and the social value agenda are two responses, driven by both government and industry. This report aims to bring these two agendas together, addressing a gap in guidance for clients and the supply chain.

The report illustrates the benefits that can be felt at both development and manufacturing sites, focusing on five core themes: employment, skills, economy, social and environmental. Perspectives brought by participants indicate that social value is considered important by the sector, with compelling arguments put forward on the ability of the model to provide secure, long-term employment opportunities. The report also highlights recent case studies around embodied carbon which indicate saving of between 30-45% can result from adoption of offsite techniques.

It offers guidance to the offsite manufacturers by sharing clear examples of ‘good work’ including; measuring reductions in embodied carbon; inclusion of local stakeholders in the design process using digital tools; creating training opportunities and routes to progression through direct employment.

The findings indicate potential for offsite to deliver the same, if not more, value to society than traditional construction, providing early communication takes place among stakeholders to understand the possibilities and agree clear boundaries and methodologies.

Ian Heptonstall, Director of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, said: “I am delighted to share this guide providing practical recommendations within the offsite sector. I hope organisations will find it useful as a jumping off point to get to grips with their social value offering, measuring, and communicating impact for the benefit of all in the sector.”

Ellie Jenkins, Partner at Akerlof and co-author of the report, said: “Offsite construction can create significant social value. We hope this guide will shape understanding and encourage the offsite sector to embed social value, growing a community of great practice.”

Membership to the Supply Chain Sustainability School is free – simply register for an account to gain access to practical learning and support in the form of sustainability training, events and networking, e-learning modules, tailored assessment, and a library of over 3,000 online resources.

Download the report here.

The Supply Chain Sustainability School has partnered with Balfour Beatty for the second year in a row, undertaking a joint survey targeting hundreds of supply chain partners across the UK to understand the barriers and opportunities faced in decarbonising the sector.

Recognising the important role that the construction and infrastructure sector has to play in achieving Net Zero, the companies set out their findings and recommendations for policy makers, customers, and the industry more widely in their latest thought paper – “2022 Greening the Supply Chain”.

Despite the positive steps that have already been taken across the industry, achieving Net Zero is not a foregone conclusion with 68% of respondents saying that the sector is not well enough prepared, 53% saying that the development pipeline for low-carbon materials is not sufficient to meet demand and 81% indicating that construction practices are changing too slowly.

In addition, 96% of those who responded said that they are experiencing a shortfall in access to skilled people, specifically relating to carbon, sustainability, digital and other related roles, which risks holding back efforts to decarbonise the sector.

In “2022 Greening the Supply Chain”, the School and Balfour Beatty highlight the importance of bringing in supply chain partners earlier to put in place the best, low carbon solutions. An area that also requires more focus is the creation of robust measurement and up-to-date reporting standards – these are key for consistency and driving forward progress.

Shaun McCarthy OBE, Chair of Supply Chain Sustainability School said: “These reports offer a major insight into what the built environment requires to meet our net zero targets by 2045/50 and it is great to see that the sector is invested in the challenge! But there is still a long way to go. We must urgently address the skills shortage, as well as the speed in which construction practices are changing to utilise low-carbon technology and methods. Innovation, communication, and collaboration are key!”

Jo Gilroy, Group Director of Sustainability at Balfour Beatty, said: “The global climate change emergency is one of the biggest challenges that we have ever faced. It is a challenge requiring us to all pull in the same direction, together.

With approximately 80% of the sector’s carbon emissions stemming from our supply chain, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the barriers our partners face and where they need more support. By sharing our findings and learnings, we hope that the sector will move forward more quickly – together – in achieving Net Zero.”

To read “2022 Greening the Supply Chain” in full, please click here.

11 October, London, UK — A new report, published by the Supply Chain Sustainability School, Akerlof and the University of Salford, has launched to support clients and supply chain organisations on how to enhance the benefits of the social value created through the use of offsite manufacture.

In the face of urgent challenges (including the need to rapidly decarbonise, combat growing poverty and inequality, and address the cost-of-living crisis) what and how we build is crucial! Offsite construction and the social value agenda are two responses, driven by both government and industry. This report brings these agendas together, addressing a gap in guidance for clients and the supply chain.

Contributors to the report described how proposals which involve factory pre-fabrication are sometimes disadvantaged during bids, due to clients restricting social value measurement to the municipal area of the development site. Such assessments miss the significant benefits offsite manufacturing facilities can bring to other geographical areas, for example through provision of stable, long-term employment.

The report illustrates the potential benefits that can be felt at both development and manufacturing sites across five themes: employment, skills, economy, social and environmental. Across these, was unearthed promising stories of offsite organisations contributing positively, along with significant scope for improved data gathering and communication to support assumptions.

Examples of ‘good work’ include:

  • Opening opportunities for employment to members of local communities, students and under-represented groups.
  • Measuring reductions in embodied carbon.
  • Inclusion of local stakeholders in the design process using digital tools.
  • Creation of training opportunities and routes to progression through direct employment.

Ultimately, the findings indicate there is potential for offsite to deliver the same, if not more, value to society than traditional construction, providing early communication takes place among stakeholders to understand the possibilities and agree clear boundaries and methodologies.

Pressing forward in this space, there is a great deal of work needed to build up the robust evidence base required to set baselines for improvement and effectively communicate the benefits, which the School and collaborating organisations are keen to support.

Ian Heptonstall, Director of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, said: “I’m delighted to share this guide providing practical recommendations with the offsite sector. I hope organisations will find it useful as a jumping off point to get to grips with their social value offering, measuring and communicating impact for the benefit of all in the sector.”

Ellie Jenkins, Partner at Akerlof and co-author of the report, said: “Offsite construction can create significant social value. We hope this guide will shape understanding and encourage the offsite sector to embed social value, growing a community of great practice.”

The report can be downloaded from the Supply Chain Sustainability School website here.

 

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Gemma Laws

[email protected]

About Supply Chain Sustainability School:
The Supply Chain Sustainability School (the “School”) is a multi-award-winning initiative which represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains. Co-funded by over 180 collaborating companies (Partners), the School is delivered by an independent third-party consultancy, Action Sustainability. Leadership is provided by a School Board comprising elected representatives of Partners, responsible for fiscal governance and strategic direction. A Code of Ethics is signed by all Partners as part of the School Constitution and Partners lead the direction of the School content and activities through leadership groups. With more than 50,000 registered users, the School provides free practical learning and support in the form of sustainability training, events and networking, e-learning modules, tailored assessment and a library of over 3,000 online resources. https://www.supplychainschool.co.uk/

About Akerlof:
Akerlof is a specialist consultancy focussed upon delivering high value outcomes within the built environment through integration of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Responding to contemporary challenges with creativity and clarity, Akerlof work with ambitious leaders in both public and private sectors to offer fresh and objective thinking on how to deliver economic, environmental and social value through Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). http://akerlof.co.uk