Construction Firms Called to Step Up as Social Enterprise Awards Spotlight Procurement Power

Applications open for landmark awards that reward companies embedding social value deep into their supply chains.

Scotland’s construction sector is being urged to take the spotlight in this year’s Social Enterprise Awards, with a special call to firms that are building more than just infrastructure — companies using their purchasing power to fuel social good.

Now in its 15th year, the awards have opened applications for 2025, and Social Enterprise Scotland is making a clear pitch: construction and built environment businesses are “uniquely placed” to lead on social procurement. And with a revamped application process designed to make things smoother for everyone involved, there’s little reason not to throw your hard hat into the ring.

A Unique Opportunity for Builders with a Bigger Vision

Construction isn’t just bricks and scaffolding anymore. It’s job creation. It’s community regeneration. It’s sustainable choices and ethical supply chains. That’s exactly what the Buy Social Scotland Market Builder Award aims to recognise.

Chris Martin, CEO of Social Enterprise Scotland, didn’t mince his words. He said firms in this sector can make a “huge impact” when they put their budgets to work in smarter, more socially responsible ways.

And the timing? Couldn’t be better.

This year’s awards, part of the wider push to grow Scotland’s social enterprise economy, are making it easier than ever to apply. With 11 categories and several new formats for submission — including voice and video responses — the awards are breaking down the very barriers they seek to challenge.

What the Buy Social Award Actually Rewards

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about ticking boxes or vague CSR slogans. The Buy Social Scotland Market Builder Award is given to businesses that are genuinely integrating social enterprises into their supply chains. That means:

• Purchasing goods and services directly from social enterprises

• Partnering on community-led construction projects

• Offering training, employment, or mentorship opportunities via social enterprise channels

• Supporting localised procurement strategies that bring money back into communities

One key example that helped shape this award’s direction? Firms collaborating with social enterprises for supply of ethical materials, or subcontracting landscape maintenance to social businesses focused on rehabilitation and inclusion. That kind of thing isn’t just “nice to have” anymore — it’s central to how progressive firms operate.

Why Construction? Because the Sector Touches Everything

If there’s any industry that can really flex social procurement muscles, it’s construction.

Projects are everywhere — schools, housing, community centres, hospitals. And so are the opportunities to buy local, buy ethical, and buy social.

And the numbers don’t lie. According to Scottish Government procurement data from 2023, over £14 billion was spent across the public sector. Construction made up a significant slice of that pie. Even a small shift in procurement behaviour could have a transformative effect across local economies.

One sentence here. Just to break it up.

Unlike other sectors, construction doesn’t just consume — it transforms. And that transformation can extend far beyond the building site.

New Ways to Apply — And They’re Actually Quite Good

Let’s talk logistics. Because for many small firms, the barrier isn’t intent — it’s bureaucracy. Long forms. Technical jargon. Portal logins that never work.

That’s changed this year.

The awards have adopted a much more inclusive approach, including the use of Award Force — a platform designed for easier submissions. And the best bit? You can now respond to application questions using:

• Written responses (as before)

• Voice recordings (say it, don’t type it)

• Video uploads (show us what you’ve done)

They’ve even ditched some of the longer sections in the form. You can now spend more time on the work, less on the paperwork.

Here’s a quick look at the new process compared to last year’s:

You can see the shift. It’s designed to open the door for firms of all sizes — especially the ones already doing the work but lacking time or resources to prove it.

Who Else is in the Running?

The 2025 Awards don’t just honour procurement, of course. There are 11 total categories, including:

• Social Enterprise of the Year

• Environmental Social Enterprise

• Building Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Justice

• Tech for Good

• Health and Social Care

• People’s Choice Award

• Social Enterprise Employee and Volunteer Champion

• One to Watch

• IDBM Community Wealth Building

• And of course, Buy Social Scotland Market Builder

Each one looks at a different slice of social enterprise activity in Scotland, but it’s the Market Builder Award that puts private-sector allies — especially construction firms — front and centre.

It’s a shift that feels necessary. After all, these companies often control millions in procurement spend. Recognising the ones using that spend to improve lives is long overdue.

What You Need to Know If You Want to Enter

There’s still time to apply — but not a ton.

Applications close Monday, July 7 at 10am sharp. No grace period. No late entries. So if you’re a contractor, architect, engineer, or developer working with social enterprises, now’s the time to get moving.

Just one sentence again here.

Full details and criteria are listed on the official Social Enterprise Scotland website. But at its core, the ask is simple: show how your business is using its spending power to back social value.

Not because you have to. But because it’s the right thing to do — and the smart thing, too.