Social Value in Practice: How Social-Value Hiring Enhances Construction Projects

Social Value has evolved. It is no longer a collection of well-meaning ideas, community days or CSR gestures. Under the Procurement Act 2023, major clients — particularly in infrastructure, energy, utilities and engineering — now expect measurable, skills-based Social Value delivered inside the project team, not around it.

This shift presents a challenge for many contractors. The industry is experiencing:

• A severe skill shortage in project controls

• Limited availability of planners and schedulers

• Increasing pressure to meet Social Value scoring

• Rising expectations for transparency, data and governance

• A need to diversify and modernise project teams

  
  

But there is also an opportunity — for contractors who embrace a new Social Value model built on capability, not charity.

This is where NEC Planning Solutions leads the industry.

The New Social Value Reality: Clients Want Outcomes, Not Promises

Local authorities, utilities, energy companies, and public-sector bodies have shifted their scoring criteria.They now ask contractors to evidence:

• tangible employment opportunities

• measurable skills development

• support for disadvantaged groups (including refugees)

• long-term career progression

• community benefit tied to project outcomes

• reporting and governance

This is dramatically different from traditional approaches like:

• tree planting

• fundraising

• volunteer days

• generic diversity statements

The new expectation is simple:

Social Value must actively strengthen the project and the delivery team.

This is why NEC Planning Solutions built a model that integrates Social Value directly into project planning and controls — the backbone of every engineering and construction project.

The NEC Planning Solutions Model: Social Value That Delivers Capability

Unlike agencies and CSR programmes, NEC Planning Solutions delivers Social Value that enhances the technical performance of the project, not distracts from it.

Our model has 3 pillars:

Pillar 1 — Hiring and developing highly capable talent from under-represented groups

Many individuals — especially refugees, displaced professionals, internationally trained engineers, project management professionals and construction managers — arrive in the UK with:

• engineering degrees

• project delivery experience

• technical aptitude

• strong analytical capability

• fluency in multiple languages

• high motivation

But they face barriers such as:

• lack of UK experience

• CV screening bias

• unclear career pathways

• no access to UK industry networks

NEC Planning Solutions identifies this talent, screens for technical ability and integrates them into project planning and controls roles where they can deliver quantifiable value from day one.

Pillar 2 — Senior oversight ensuring Tier 1-level quality

Every social-value planner or project controller is supervised, mentored and quality-assured by a senior NEC Planning Solutions expert.

This ensures:

• accuracy in NEC/FIDIC programme updates

• correct logic, float and critical-path modelling

• contract-aligned reporting

• CE and early warning analysis

• risk and delay assessment

• commercial impact tracking

• correct use of Primavera P6/Asta Powerproject

This dual structure (junior value + senior oversight) gives clients higher capacity without compromising quality — something no Social Value agency can offer.

Pillar 3 — Measurable outputs, dashboards and reporting

Clients receive:

• a clear Social Value dashboard

• monthly skills-progress reporting

• documented mentoring hours

• visibility of project contribution

• integration with tender Social Value KPIs

• evidence aligned with the Procurement Act 2023

This means contractors can confidently demonstrate real Social Value delivery, not generic commitments.

How Social-Value Hiring Enhances Construction Projects

Unlike traditional social programmes, Social-Value hiring — when properly structured — strengthens the engineering and construction delivery model in very real ways.

Below are the benefits your clients actually feel on their project.

1. Solves the planning & controls skill shortage

Project controls is one of the most under-resourced disciplines in UK construction.Contractors struggle to find:

• planners

• controls engineers

• analysts

• CE coordinators

• P6 specialists

• document controllers

Social-value hiring introduces new, motivated technical talent directly into this pipeline, filling roles that otherwise remain vacant.

2. Boosts project resilience and productivity

With more capable hands supporting planning tasks, senior planners and PMs can focus on:

• strategy

• forecasting

• recovery plans

• stakeholder communication

• complex CE analysis

The project becomes more resilient, better controlled and less reactive.

3. Enhances NEC & FIDIC contract compliance

Contract compliance requires discipline in:

• early warnings

• CE assessments

• programme updates

• impact modelling

• progress verification

• risk and mitigation tracking

Social-value planners support these processes — reducing errors, improving timeline accuracy and strengthening entitlement positions.

4. Generates measurable Social Value for tenders

Under the Procurement Act 2023, Social Value often carries 10–20% tender weighting. Contractors using NEC Planning Solutions instantly gain:

• a Social Value pipeline

• structured delivery roles

• measurable outputs

• monthly reporting

• a case study-ready model for future tenders

This directly increases tender scores.

5. Builds a stronger, more diverse project culture

Teams benefit from:

• multilingual communication

• new perspectives

• higher cultural intelligence

• greater adaptability

• an inclusive and modern workforce

This matches Tier 1 client values and improves collaboration across supply chains.

6. Supports long-term workforce development

Social-value hires are not temporary placements — they are the next generation of:

• planners

• project control specialists

• PMO analysts

• risk coordinators

Clients benefit from talent retention, stability, and future-proofing.

What Contractors Gain from NEC Planning Solutions' Social Value Programme

1. Higher tender scores

You can evidence real, structured Social Value — not vague promises.

2. Reduced planning bottlenecks

More hands, more discipline, more progress captured.

3. Increased programme accuracy

Daily/weekly updates become more reliable.

4. Improved CE and claims outcomes

Better records = stronger entitlement.

5. Clear monthly reporting to the client

Dashboard-driven outputs: time, cost, Social Value metrics.

6. Support from senior NEC/FIDIC experts

Guaranteeing quality, compliance and commercial protection.

7. A compelling narrative for frameworks & long-term partnerships

You demonstrate maturity, capability and alignment with the Procurement Act.

Why Tier 1 and Mega Engineering Contractors Choose NEC Planning Solutions

NEC Planning Solutions is not a charity initiative, a recruitment agency or an entry-level training provider.

We are a specialist project planning and controls consultancy offering:

• Primavera P6 expertise

• Programme acceptance strategies

• CE forecasting and management

• NEC/FIDIC/JCT planning compliance

• Dashboard reporting

• Work-pack planning

• Tender planning

• Project recovery planning

• Social value integration

And we deliver all of this through a Social Value engine that aligns directly with Procurement Act 2023 KPIs.

This combination is unique in the UK market.

No other consultancy delivers both:

1. Top-tier project planning & controls, and

2. Measurable Social Value built into the delivery team.

This is why major engineering and construction organisations trust NEC Planning Solutions.

Conclusion: Social Value in Practice Is a Competitive Advantage — If Done Properly

Social Value is no longer optional.It is strategic, measurable, contract-driven — and directly linked to tender success.

Contractors who treat Social Value as an add-on will fall behind.Those who treat it as a delivery capability will thrive.

NEC Planning Solutions offers the UK’s only integrated model where:

• project controls excellence

• world-class planning capability

• Social Value hiring

• senior expert oversight

• reporting and dashboards

• Procurement Act compliance

This is Social Value in practice — not theory.

If you want to strengthen your tender strategy, enhance your project delivery capability and integrate real Social Value into your organisation, NEC Planning Solutions is ready to support you.