Maximising our social impact through procurement
“We work hand in hand with our supply chain, engaging early to align capabilities with the needs of our residents, and using procurement as a vehicle to deliver meaningful, long-term outcomes.”
By Shelley Hathaway-Batt, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Projects at Clarion Futures
Social value at Clarion is more than compliance or corporate responsibility – it’s a purpose-driven strategy that transforms the lives of our residents.
It’s deeply embedded in our core strategies, shaping our approach to sustainability and development, underpinning procurement, and forming a cornerstone of our work within Clarion Futures, our charitable foundation.
We work hand in hand with our supply chain, engaging early to align capabilities with the needs of our residents, and using procurement as a vehicle to deliver meaningful, long-term outcomes.
After all, with an annual spend of approximately £1 billion on goods and services, we have a unique opportunity to maximise the impact of every pound spent, ensuring that it benefits our communities.
It’s about more than simply securing the best financial deal. By working closely with like-minded suppliers who share our values, we create initiatives that maximise our collective impact, whether it's investing in community projects, providing training and employment opportunities, or gifting time, skills and resources to make a positive difference.
During the year, we worked with our supply chain partners to create 225 jobs and apprenticeships for people. We also provided 221 people with pre-employment support to boost their career prospects, invested £119,726 in accredited training and qualifications, and found work placements for 79 people.
Our partners also invested more than £1.2m to improve our communities and support local projects ranging from green skills and nature-based projects to our award-winning Cost of Living programme.
As part of this, one of our major suppliers, Travis Perkins, donated £250,000 to support our work to help residents hit by the cost of living crisis.
As we evolve, we will continue to focus on the quality of those outcomes, maximising the value of our partnerships to address real-world challenges with depth and intent.
The new Procurement Act will strengthen the role of social value, placing greater emphasis on transparency, accountability, and long-term impact. For Clarion, it reinforces a path we’ve already been on. We continue to go beyond compliance, placing ethical sourcing and sustainable practices at the core of our procurement approach.
Social value generated through our supply chain enables us to do more, broadening our reach and deepening the impact we can have in communities. We are immensely grateful to our supply chain partners, including the likes of Equans, United Living and Wates. Their generous contributions – both financial and in-kind – enable us to support a broad mix of local and national programmes through Clarion Futures and across the organisation.
Ultimately, the funding provided helps us unlock opportunities that wouldn’t be possible otherwise – improving local environments, increasing our biodiversity impact, and building skills for the future.