Social Value in Construction Benchmarking Report 2026

Social value is a fundamental part of public sector procurement, ensuring that investment in the built environment delivers lasting economic, social and environmental benefits alongside the assets themselves.

Since 2020, SCAPE and Social Value Portal have collaborated to publish the Social Value in Construction Benchmarking Report, providing insights into the regional and national trends in social value delivery across the UK’s built environment.

For the contract flooring industry, these findings highlight the growing importance of demonstrating social value, from creating local employment and training opportunities to adopting more sustainable practices across flooring projects.

Collaborative delivery

Now in its sixth edition, the 2026 report reveals that £1.1bn of social value was delivered across 445 projects with a combined contract value of £4.98bn. This represents £0.22 of social value generated for every £1 of contract value. Of these projects, 125 were delivered through SCAPE frameworks, accounting for 28% of the overall dataset.

The report also features 24 case studies from SCAPE’s delivery partners, showcasing tangible examples of social value delivered through SCAPE frameworks and the positive impact achieved in communities across the UK.

Maximising social value through procurement

Delivering social value means creating positive economic, environmental, and social outcomes for the communities in which we work. It’s about ensuring that every pound invested through the built environment generates lasting benefits, from providing local employment and training opportunities, to reducing carbon emissions and encouraging volunteering in the community.

The Social Value Act (2012) requires public sector organisations to consider the opportunities to create social, economic and environmental benefits alongside their contractual expenditure. SCAPE’s latest Social Value in Construction Benchmarking Report demonstrates how prioritising social and environmental outcomes enhances communities and drives meaningful change across the UK.

Long-term benefit

While monetised social value remains an important benchmark, this year’s findings also reflect the construction sector’s growing focus on understanding the lasting outcomes that projects create for people, places and local economies. The report highlights:

• 40,531 weeks of training and apprenticeships
• 28,891 C0₂ carbon emissions saved
• 10,436 hours of volunteering with schools and colleges
• £407m local spend with MSMEs only
• 97p of every £1 social value generated directly supports local jobs and local spend

Download the full findings and regional insights.

scape.co.uk