Corporate social responsibility has been a cornerstone of businesses operating in the construction sector for years, but social value is now the outcome of efforts to quantify how a company is performing against its values, looking after its employees and its wider social, environmental and economic effects.

It is important that strategies and plans are developed to make sure construction companies are leaving a positive legacy in the communities where they work, at all stages of scheme delivery, from bid writing to practical completion. A lot of time and effort should be invested in identifying those  opportunities so, as an industry, we not only provide new infrastructure and buildings, but ensure our impact on the ground is felt positively, locally, for years to come.