A new report has highlighted the ‘pivotal’ role of Scotland’s construction industry in delivering social impact through public sector projects over the past decade.
In its report, Delivering Social Impact from Scottish Public Sector Construction Projects – a review of practice 2015 – 2025, the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) reveals that construction projects are providing far-reaching benefits for communities, the economy, and the environment.
Since 2016, regulated construction contracts have included requirements to deliver social impact, helping public bodies meet their sustainable procurement obligations. SFT’s Community Benefit Toolkit for Construction, published in 2015, provided guidance to help public bodies and contractors define, procure, and deliver measurable social value through construction projects.
This new review reflects on 10 years of progress and identifies key lessons and recommendations to further optimise social impact delivery:
Pre-procurement planning:
- Early planning and stakeholder engagement, including place-based approaches, improve outcomes and reach priority or hard-to-reach groups
- Public bodies are encouraged to develop clear social impact plans aligned with corporate and local priorities
- Appointing a social impact champion ensures project-level delivery aligns with broader strategies
Procurement stage:
- Clear, proportionate social impact requirements encourage innovation and improve outcomes
- Requirements should consider the capacity of the supply chain to ensure equitable social impact targets are set
- Procurement processes should allow suppliers to propose creative, high-impact initiatives
Monitoring and evaluation:
- Digital platforms and social impact portals have enhanced tracking, reporting, and validation of initiatives
- Strong management and oversight remain crucial, alongside knowledge-sharing across public sector organisations to maximise impact
Steve Whitton, associate director at the Scottish Futures Trust, and author of the report, said, “The construction sector has made significant strides over the past decade, particularly in improving the quality and relevance of social impact initiatives delivered on projects. Looking ahead, new legislation and policies, such as the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill, will place even greater emphasis on embedding social value in capital investment programmes.”
The review concludes that public sector clients can unlock further benefits by developing ‘considered and proportionate’ social impact plans that:
- Align activity with local and national priorities
- Emphasise the quality of requirements at the project level
- Demonstrate the value being created
- Adopt standardised metrics for consistent reporting at scale
Stuart Calderwood, community benefits & sustainable procurement manager (commercial & procurement shared service – Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and The Highland Council) stated, “SFT’s Social Impact Report provides clear, practical guidance for embedding social value in construction projects. By highlighting measurable outcomes, proportionate planning, and innovative approaches, it helps public bodies and contractors maximise impact, align with local and national priorities, and deliver tangible benefits to communities, the economy, and the environment.”
