Procure Plus was delighted to work with the Greater South East Net Zero Hub (GSENZH) for a second time, delivering a programme of energy efficiency improvements for homes across its region in the South East of England via the HUG2 (Home Upgrade Grant) scheme. As well as benefiting from the use of Procure Plus’ procurement frameworks, the region was also able to benefit from the “Plus” – that is, the added social value which Procure Plus brings. Procure Plus and the GSENZH had the shared goal to ensure local people benefited from the employment and training opportunities that these works created in green skills and retrofit.

Social Value targets

The goal on this project was for 50 people to be supported into work in the localities – Kent, Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire and for 80% of them to have sustained in work after six months.

Procure Plus’ Social Value team supports and delivers employment programmes for local people facing barriers to the world of work. One of the ways it does this is by providing funding for organisations which support people into work, and the target was to provide funding support for 6 voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations, enabling them to support 35 people into work;10 of these jobs to be in construction.

The target was for the remaining 15 jobs to be in green skills with the two appointed contractors and sub-contractors delivering the works, and other local contractors.

Of the 50 people going into work, 45 people (90%) needed to identify with one or more of Procure Plus’ priority groups: People long-term unemployed, care-experienced or homelessness-experienced,  not in education, employment or training (NEET), from an ethnic minority background, aged 50+, those who are ex-military service, or an ex-offender, or women going into a construction role