Andrew is the Head of Procurement at Onward Homes
Hello Andrew, how are you?
I’m doing well thanks – and especially looking forward to what we have planned over the next year at Onward.
Can you tell us what your role is at Onward Homes and how Social Value comes into it?
I’m the Head of Procurement here at Onward and one of the key objectives in my role is to identify how our spend can help our local economy thrive and how our suppliers can help deliver more for our customers and communities.
At Onward, we work hard to make a real difference to the lives of people in our neighbourhoods. We don’t just exist to provide our customers with a home, we also strive to give the right support and opportunities to help them grow, supporting people and communities to fulfil their aspirations and potential.
It is at the very heart of what we do, and it’s been great to see our organisation demonstrate and deliver on our commitment to Social Value.
We’ve just had the tenth anniversary of the Social Value Act. What would you give Social Value out of 10 based on what you’ve seen since 2012?
I would have to say 7 out of 10.
It has come a long way, being embedded within organisations’ culture and decision making, but there is more to be done in joining up organisations to maximise our resources.
How do you see Social Value helping your local residents over the next 10 years?
The world is constantly changing, and we are all seeing our customer’s needs and demands shifting. Technology is advancing and achieving zero carbon by 2050 is a must. There are some major challenges ahead, but also huge opportunities – and certainly there’s plenty of social value out there to be realised.
When it comes to making The Onward Difference, we know we can’t do this alone, but by working in partnership. We can do more, together, by sharing knowledge, coordinating resources, and focusing relentlessly on what will give our customers the best outcome.
Through greater collaboration between organisations, we can provide more great opportunities to enable our customers to create better communities to live and thrive.
Finally – for procurement teams across the country, what single piece of advice would you offer when it comes to delivering Social Value in a way that makes a real difference for local communities?
Keep it simple! Consider a few basic things that will make a difference, identify who is best to deliver them and what support is needed to enable this to happen.
Thanks Andrew!
We’d love to hear from you…
Get in touch with the team.
Email: hello@socialvalueexchange.org
Telephone: 020 3488 6223