A blog by Gill Roberts
Social Value Manager, Morgan Sindall Construction - North West
As construction adapts to its growing role in delivering sustainability, innovation, and community impact, the importance of social value has never been clearer. For Morgan Sindall Construction, social value is not an addition to our work - it’s a fundamental part of how we deliver lasting benefits for clients and communities alike.
As part of my work overseeing our social value outputs across the North West, I have been approached on numerous occasions by members of our supply chain family who wanted to better understand the Themes, Outcomes and Measures (TOMs) framework, a system for quantifying social value and impact.
I was more than happy to help, as an increased understanding could help them make a meaningful difference in our projects across the North West.
However, rather than just handing them a set of targets and saying, "Go meet these", I wanted to support them in developing a different approach to their delivery and ensure they were able to achieve an evident impact.
That’s why, alongside our North West supply chain partners, we’ve launched a Social Value Pilot Programme designed to embed social value in a more structured, measurable and impactful way.
This pilot brings together some of our key regional partners - Marshalls, Sika, DS Energy, Pilkington’s, IKO, Alumasc and SIG - to create a shared framework that aligns with our Responsible Business philosophy and our core value of Doing the Right Thing.
I have been working on this initiative over the last 18 months so we can present our supply chain with the resources and structure required to develop their own localised strategies. We want them to move away from hitting the individual TOMs measures and focus on overall social value themes and the long-term outputs, creating a meaningful and lasting impact that also meets all our reporting needs.
As such, our pilot provides a coordinated, long-term plan that ensures every action genuinely benefits people and places. As I said during our recent Place North West roundtable to launch the programme, “for us it was less about the quantity and more about the quality - we’re delighted with the ambition and commitment shown.”
From intent to impact
The roundtable brought together our supply chain partners to discuss what this collaboration really means in practice. Many acknowledged that while we’ve all “dabbled in social value before,” this pilot “gives us structure and a way to measure success.” It’s about turning good intentions into a coordinated plan with clear outcomes, moving “from reactive to proactive - coordinating people to do things better together.”
We explored how this shared structure can help create new pathways into construction for people who face barriers - care leavers, ex-offenders, ex-military personnel, and individuals with special educational needs. One moment that really resonated with me was when a colleague shared a personal story: “My family has always been in construction. My son, who has special educational needs, wants to be a joiner. This programme makes me think differently about the support people like him will need.”
That’s what social value is about and what Morgan Sindall is committed to delivering - creating opportunities that change lives.
Local focus, national potential
Another key theme was the regional focus of the pilot. Our partners recognised that this initiative allows us to “look beyond national targets and focus on real impact here in the North West.” With so much manufacturing, skills, and expertise based here, the North West is perfectly placed to lead the way. As one partner said, “we’re excited to see how we can mobilise our North West manufacturing base for local benefit.”
And while this is a regional pilot, the ambition is national. “If it works here, it can work across the country,” one participant noted - a sentiment I share wholeheartedly. Morgan Sindall’s North West team has a proud record of developing social value initiatives that are subsequently implemented on a national level. Knowledge Quads - multi-purpose training and learning facilities located within a live Morgan Sindall - were launched here, for example.
Building lasting change
What excites me most is the mindset shift we’re seeing. The pilot isn’t about reporting numbers on a spreadsheet - it’s about lasting change and relationships and helping to change society for the better. It’s about making social value intrinsic to how we do business. As one partner put it, “clients don’t want social value to be a tick-box exercise, they want real, lasting impact - and this programme shows how that can be achieved.”
The personal commitment in the room was inspiring. People talked about the positive impact of volunteering - not just on communities, but on their own teams. “The feel-good factor and pride stays with you,” an attendee said, capturing the energy perfectly.
Over the next 12 months, we’ll be tracking delivery against agreed KPIs, capturing data, and developing case studies to evidence real outcomes. This is just the start - but already, the shared ambition and collaboration across our supply chain show the scale of what’s possible.
As I said at the roundtable, “this is a pilot - a chance to test what works and then build on it. The potential here is massive. It offers a blueprint for how we might engage the supply chain family across the wider group nationally.”
I truly believe that when we work together - with purpose and accountability - we can deliver something truly powerful for our communities, our industry, and our region. I know I speak for all our supply chain partners when I say we can’t wait to get started.
Click to watch:
Hear key insights and outcomes shared by roundtable participants.
Participants:
Kirsty Jones – IKO – key account manager; Ben Parker – IKO – divisional manager – national accounts; Bea Roberts – NSG Pilkington – North specification manager ; Leo Pyrah – NSG Pilkington – head of commercial UK; Mark Kennedy – Alumasc Roofing – compliance and training manager; Naomi Gornall – Alumasc Roofing – new-build manager for the North; Jo Holmes – Marshalls – head of ESG engagement; Josh Boyle – Marshalls – key contractor manager; Lewis Fisher – Sika – head of key accounts; Mark Harris – Sika – head of sustainability – roofing; Claire Austin – DES Energy – finance and HR manager; Laura Royston – DES Energy – sales and marketing manager; Andrew Gibbs – SIG – national account manager; Simon Arnott – Morgan Sindall – managing director for the North; Neil Carson – Morgan Sindall – supply chain manager (roundtable chair); Kane Greenough – Morgan Sindall – senior sustainability manager; Damon Wilson – Morgan Sindall – head of supply chain; Ashleigh Haworth – Morgan Sindall – procurement manager; Emma Ratcliffe – Morgan Sindall – senior business development manager; Steve Gregory – Morgan Sindall – area director for the North West; Gill Roberts – Morgan Sindall – senior social value manager (roundtable chair)