Robbie Blackhurst launched Black Capital Group in 2017 after spending a decade at main contractor Kier.
“It was interesting when I was on the other side of the fence seeing how different clients managed social value,” he says. “There were so many different approaches, it could be frustrating.”
This then became a key focus when Black Capital subsequently founded Compliance Chain in
2020 to help standardise processes for clients and allow firms in the industry to boost profitability through slicker project management.
It was a timely decision, with social value coming increasingly into the spotlight.
From February next year, when the Procurement Act 2023 kicks in, public sector bodies will be able to use a broader range of factors when deciding who to work with.
Rather than having to choose the most “economically advantageous” bid, procuring bodies will be able to select the offer that best satisfies their own award criteria. And under existing laws and policies, this will have to include community impact.
“Ultimately contractors can’t win work in the public sector unless they are committed to delivering social value and demonstrating it,” says Blackhurst.
This is where Compliance Chain’s Social Value Management tool comes into play. This dynamic software empowers project leaders to lock in impactful goals, track progress and collaborate for positive change.
“Contractors will not win work on a race to the bottom. They need to show they are doing more than others, not just being the cheapest option,” says Blackhurst. “What can set one main contractor apart from another on a £20m school bid? It won’t be the price or approach to health and safety – it will come down to community and environmental value. How do you make sure you win that battle?”
While there are other platforms on the market to aid this process, Compliance Chain believes it is offering is the most “intuitive and intelligent”.
The Social Value Management tool is often used collaboratively by contractors and clients, Blackhurst says. For procuring bodies, the software enables real-time monitoring of deliverables and eases reporting back to funders, stakeholders and regulators. For bidding construction companies, it presents a menu of social value options.
“There are 200 suggestions broken down into five categories,” says Blackhurst. “You can select, for example, that you will hire two apprentices, and get a proxy value to the community of doing that. The formulas are built in and you can create a plan to show a client what you can offer.”
After this, both parties can track delivery, leaving behind a fully auditable trail of social impact.
“You can evidence progress so you can see what has been achieved or remains to be done. And then generate a PDF case study. It moves away from the glorified spreadsheets on the market,” says Blackhurst.
“A client can hold a winning bidder firmly to account against their promises, while the contractor can use the system to plan and deliver effective real value at next to no cost. Otherwise, you can get to the end of a job and get the chequebook out in panic to hit targets.”
Contractors can also search through jobs carried out in other sectors and regions to evidence how they have created social value in the past.
“There is a real commercial benefit,” says Blackhurst. “Last year the platform measured social value across £1.5bn of projects. It is cost-competitive against other platforms yet does more – once you see it, the benefits are clear. In fact, it is a no-brainer.”
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