A regional construction company founded more than 130 years ago has produced its first framework outlining its commitments to supporting the communities where it works and the wider environment as well as its people and their skills.
Beard said the Social Value Framework would reinforce the family-owned business’s long-standing dedication to “deliver meaningful and lasting benefits” to communities across its heartland of the South of England. 
The firm, which opened its Bristol office nine years ago, outlines a number of ambitions in the report which it aims to achieve by 2030.
These include a £500,000 charity fundraising drive, creating 30,000 touchpoints to inspire new entrants to the sector and cutting carbon emissions.
Paula Baleson, who was promoted to the new role of Beard’s social value manager earlier this year, said the construction sector had enormous potential to make a positive impact on people’s lives and on the communities it worked in, beyond the boundaries of each site.
“Our Social Value Framework is designed to formalise our approach as a company to ensure benefits for our colleagues, customers and stakeholders, as well as for the business as a whole. It gives us a collective focus and I’m proud of the momentum that we’ve already built,” he added.
Paula us being supported in her work by social value coordinators in each of Beard’s five offices in Bristol, Swindon, Oxford, Guildford and Southampton.
Earlier this year, all six were recognised as ‘employees of the month’ by their colleagues for their efforts in promoting social value.
Beard chairman and fourth-generation family member leading the firm, Mark Beard, pictured, said: “Creating a better future for the communities from which we draw resources has always been an integral part of how we work.
“This commitment is shared by our colleagues and supply chain, whose efforts enable us to bring meaningful and lasting value beyond our construction contracts.
“The introduction of our Social Value Framework allows us to measure our impact, which will give impetus to our continued investment in communities, local businesses and environmental sustainability.
“This remains at the forefront of our work, whilst also opening up exciting new career opportunities for our social value team, who have made commendable progress this year already.”
Enabling pathways into the industry and boosting construction skills were a key priority area for Beard, he said, adding it was one that resonated with its wider business objectives and industry needs, and where the social value team saw huge potential to elevate their impact. 
The firm has introduced hoarding designs that put faces to the range of people and roles behind its successful construction projects, which aim to inspire people to consider a career in construction.
Paula added the firm’s social value efforts were the responsibility of the whole team – from bid stage through to post-completion.
“But my purpose, with the support of the social value team, is to drive forward initiatives and motivate us all to strengthen communities, attract and retain top talent, and improve construction skills,” she added.
“We’re also looking at ways to promote diversity and inclusion, minimise our environmental footprint, and elevate the public perception of the construction industry through our work.”
Following the launch of the framework this month, benchmarks are being rolled out across Beard’s 90 or so construction sites – around a quarter of which have already adopted the framework over the past six months.
