Chandos Construction Promotes Social Procurement Strategy

Growing concern over the environment and social issues has influenced companies in all sectors to reassess their level of sustainability as well as their corporate social responsibilities (CSR). During a time that is more accepting of diversity and inclusiveness in the workforces, it is imperative that businesses continue to develop their strategies to support their personnel. Inspired by the UK Mental Health Awareness week, let’s take a look at how Chandos Construction tackles some pressing social issues through its procurement strategy and how the company is supporting other organisations.

Social Procurement

According to Chandos Construction, “social procurement is the practice of procuring products and services from organisations that make a direct and positive social and environmental contribution to the local economy.”

Essentially, social procurement is the act of sourcing products and services in a way that will benefit others. Whether this means procurement of materials from sustainable sources or the use of companies with regulation around forced labour.

Chandos Construction has released a statement that explains its social procurement strategy. The statement highlights what the company aims to address and how it plans to do so. 

In implementing this strategy, Chandos aims to: 

• provide more local employment opportunities 
• expand the company’s diversity
• reduce poverty 
• utilise first source hiring
• eliminate social isolation and promote local purchasing 
• offer skills training and fairer wages

What does Inclusive Hiring mean?

Chandos has partnered with other Canadian organisations like Embers, a registered community economic charity in Vancouver, as well as Women Building Futures in Edmonton, Momentum in Calgary and Building Up in Toronto. The company is working with these organisations to limit the barriers for those who require full-time employment. 

Chandos President Tim Coldwell spoke to Forbes about the company’s social procurement journey. When asked about inclusive hiring, Coldwell spoke about Chandos’ B Corp certification. 

“B Corp certification opened the minds of a lot of leaders in our company. A group of us believed that we could do more to embed social purpose in our existing business model. We wanted to go beyond cutting a check to a charity and feeling good; we wanted to figure out how to use our business model to directly solve some of the world’s greatest challenges,” explains Coldwell. 

B Corp certification gives recognition to companies that are committed to meeting specific social and environmental standards. To recognise the company as the largest B Corp certified commercial builder in North America, it received the highest score for the environment and worker categories in 2017 and 2018. The company was also awarded “Best for Workers” recognition.