SOCIAL VALUE IN REMEDIATION AND RETROFIT
Social value, evidenced through the work.
We measure social value against the projects that create it: employment and skills, local supply chains, community impact and environmental outcomes.
Local opportunity. Measured delivery. Lasting value.
Start with the project. Measure what it creates.
Commitments are set against the contract, and outcomes are recorded against the project that created them.
We work across four areas, tracked through our Social Value Tracker.
Employment & Skills
Local appointments, apprenticeships, work placements, training and progression on live projects.
Local Economy & Supply Chain
Regional suppliers, subcontractors and labour, with spend tracked against each contract.
Community Impact
Time, skills and practical improvements for the communities around our sites.
Environmental Sustainability
Waste recovery, consolidated deliveries and carbon reduction, planned into every project.
Evidence you can measure.
Outcomes recorded on our own projects, each one traceable to the project it came from.
of project waste diverted from landfill
Advent projects, Manchester
local appointments: a Site Manager, a Resident Liaison Officer and a labourer
Magdalene, Bingham and The Christians, and Oxgangs House, Edinburgh
local playgrounds refurbished, funded through the contract
Dumbryden, Edinburgh
community facilities upgraded: new astroturf at a Community Centre and better access at a public library
Magdalene, Bingham and The Christians, and Oxgangs House, Edinburgh
Local projects should leave something useful behind.
Sometimes social value is straightforward: people giving their time, skills or resources to organisations already doing useful work in the community.
Alongside our Greenhouse project in Leeds, Jenny Kitchen, IRS Social Value Manager, volunteered with Women’s Whispers, a local organisation based opposite the site, helping with painting as part of their office refurbishment.
Jenny was joined by Lei-vann, one of her Constructive Futures students studying MA Architecture, combining volunteering with practical experience and community involvement.
The project was across the road. The opportunity to help was right there.
Evidence
Also at The Greenhouse
Working with local stakeholders, we turned a disused compound area into a community greenspace, improving biodiversity and leaving something lasting for residents beyond the contract.
Social value in practice.
Magdalene, Bingham and The Christians, Edinburgh
New astroturf for the Community Centre, improving the space for the wider community.
1 locally recruited Site Manager.
Dumbryden, Edinburgh
The contract also funded the refurbishment of two local playgrounds.
2 local playgrounds refurbished.
Oxgangs House, Edinburgh
External painting and access upgrades at the Council-owned Oxgangs Library, improving access for the wider community.
2 locally recruited roles: a Resident Liaison Officer and a labourer.
Advent 2 and 3, Manchester
We worked with the City Zen charity in Greater Manchester, supporting the employment of ex-offenders and servicemen.
95.62% of project waste diverted from landfill across the Advent projects.
Swedish Timber, Whitburn
Delivered as part of the contract, in line with our commitment to social value.
1 charity work placement.
The Greenhouse, Leeds
Our Social Value Manager and a Constructive Futures student volunteered on the Women’s Whispers office refurbishment opposite the site, and with local stakeholders we turned a disused compound area into a community greenspace.
3 hours of volunteering, and a new community greenspace.
Build skills that stay after the project ends.
We use live projects to create routes into construction, and we promote suitable vacancies through local employment routes and community partners.
On our projects that has meant a locally recruited Site Manager at Magdalene, Bingham and The Christians, a Resident Liaison Officer and a labourer recruited locally at Oxgangs House, a charity work placement at Swedish Timber, Whitburn, and work with the City Zen charity on Advent 2 and 3, supporting the employment of ex-offenders and servicemen.
Our tender commitments include apprenticeships and work placements linked to contract value, along with training and competency reviews for directly employed staff.
Our commitment
100% of suitable contract-generated vacancies promoted through appropriate local employment channels on relevant contracts.
Use less. Waste less. Leave more behind.
Environmental value is part of project value. Every project has its own Project Environmental Plan and Site Waste Management Plan, with waste segregated and recovered through approved recycling partners.
On Advent and The Greenhouse, off-site logistics hubs let us buy in bulk, consolidate deliveries and coordinate waste removal, which lowered transport emissions and disruption for residents.
- Consolidated deliveries from off-site logistics hubs
- Waste segregation, reuse and recovery
- Local and regional procurement
- ULEZ-compliant vehicles, with a move to hybrid and electric
- A renewable energy tariff at our premises
- ISO 14001 certified environmental management
95.62%of project waste diverted from landfill across the Advent projects in Manchester.
Eliminating all direct greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, as set out in our Carbon Reduction Plan.
Keep more of the project value closer to the project.
Where practical, we use regional suppliers, subcontractors and labour around the communities where we work, which also cuts travel and transport emissions.
We buy around 98% of project materials directly rather than through layers of supply chain, so we control where they come from and how they reach site. Local and regional spend is tracked against individual contracts, so it can be reported as an outcome.
- Percentage of contract value spent locally or regionally
- Local suppliers appointed
- Local subcontractors engaged
The right opportunities usually come through the right local relationships.
Social value works best when projects connect with organisations that already understand local needs: colleges, employment services, community groups and social enterprises, depending on the contract.
Mentoring, employer encounters, employability and progression.
Charity we worked with on Advent 2 and 3, supporting the employment of ex-offenders and servicemen.
Community organisation opposite The Greenhouse. We volunteered on their office refurbishment.
Social value needs evidence.
We record outcomes against the contract that creates them, including employment, skills, local spend, community activity and environmental performance.
Performance is reviewed against the commitments made for each project. Our approach uses a Social Value Tracker, with named accountability through our Social Value Manager.
Local vacancies and appointments
Apprenticeships, placements, qualifications and progression
Regional spend, suppliers and subcontractors
Volunteer hours, partnerships and practical outcomes
Waste recovery, reuse, carbon and logistics
Engagement and project-specific outcomes, where relevant
Named responsibility matters.
Jenny Kitchen, Social Value Manager
Jenny leads the coordination and reporting of social value across IRS projects, working with clients, project teams, employment and education partners, community organisations and Constructive Futures to turn contract commitments into delivered activity.
What we’re developing next.
- Expanded apprenticeship routes
- More project-linked volunteering
- Stronger local-spend reporting
- Further carbon and environmental measures
Build social value into the project from the start.
The earlier commitments are agreed, the more opportunity there is to connect them to real jobs, skills, local organisations, supply-chain spend and environmental outcomes around the project.
SCOTLAND
74 Glencraig Street
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
ML6 9AS
NORTHERN REGION
Unit 12 Ashburton Park
Trafford Park, Manchester
M17 1EH
SOUTHERN REGION
Unit 3, 362B Spring Road
Southampton
SO19 2PB
Insulated Render Systems (Scotland) Ltd, trading as IRS Construction · Registered in Scotland no. SC441561 · © 2026