7 August 2018 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal
FM companies are increasingly being asked by clients to deliver social value as part of their contractual performance, according to a BIFM report about social value and procurement.
It states that FM companies also "have their own genuine desire to operate as modern, socially conscious businesses".
A discussion amongst managers and practitioners from across the sector at an event in May and organised by the BIFM, explored the FM sector's understanding of social value, its evolution and how its effectiveness can be measured.
Jamie Quinn of event sponsors Engie said he thought there was "a changing emphasis around the role of business - the role of leaders is to look beyond just what the share price is of an organisation. In the world we live in, there's greater scrutiny and greater transparency around the authenticity of a company's approach to social value".
But he added: "At the moment, there's no clear path to get there. We need to get some metrics in place that help us define what our relationship is with society. What is that relationship in terms of jobs that we create, in terms of environmental improvement that we can have, in terms of technological solutions that we can deliver? It's that broader impact and that fundamental question of our relationship with society that is very important."