Wates put social enterprise at the heart of supply chain procurement

12 April, 2011

Wates Group, the major UK construction company, affirmed its commitment to putting social enterprise at the heart of its procurement process at a workshop held in Birmingham today.

More than 20 representatives of social enterprises from across the UK took part in the event, which was devised to inspire them to compete as effectively as possible with the private sector, and to give them a greater understanding of Wates’ supply chain process. It was organised by Wates in partnership with the School for Social Entrepreneurs and funded by Wates Giving, an independent charitable programme run by the Wates Family.

The Wates Group worked with 36 social enterprise organisations in 2010, awarding contracts to a total value of £625,000 across 56 different projects. It has set the target of increasing this to at least 60 businesses and a contract value of £750,000 by the end of 2011.

Rachel Woolliscroft, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Wates, commented:
“Working with social enterprises gives us the opportunity to support organisations that share many of Wates values and goals, enabling us to increase employment opportunities and develop skills in the communities in which we work. At Wates we are committed to making social enterprises an integral part of our procurement process, not only for the contribution they make to our social and environmental goals, but because of the additional value and operational benefits that local partnerships bring to our supply chain.”

Categories: CR, people, supply chain, events, midlands

Tags: Social Enterprise, Wates Giving