Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 and BAM exceed social return targets
"The David de Wied building is the first project in which Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 has structurally applied Social Return and we have already decided to continue doing so in future projects," says Leo Schepers, Project Manager Real Estate & Campus at the university. "As a public institution I think we should give people with a distance to the labour market a chance. Within the university, but also with parties who work for us."
Leo included a realistic percentage of Social Return in the tender: 2% of the work had to be done by young people and 2% by people from outside the university. Senior project manager Mark van der Horst of the contractor BAM Bouw en Techniek, together with Leo, Jan Rous of the Stimuleringsfonds and Renzo Deurloo of GreenFox Social Return, ensured that this requirement was not only met but exceeded by 10%.
Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 is one of the leaders in its segment when it comes to applying Social Return in its procurement policy
Valuable workplaces for sustainable jobs
Over the past two years, the David de Wied building has been expanded to include a facility for electron microscopes, which places very high demands on vibration reduction. This is a specialist job, which Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 contracted out to BAM Bouw en Techniek. The contract includes a Social Return obligation.
BAM Bouw en Techniek is happy to work with GreenFox for this. This social enterprise provided the candidates, took care of their supervision and did the Social Return administration for this project. "Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 is one of the leaders in its segment when it comes to applying Social Return in its procurement policy," says Renzo about the collaboration with Leo.
On the construction company's commitment, he says: "BAM Bouw en Techniek not only wants to comply with Social Return obligations, but really helps to maximise the chances of sustainable jobs for our people by providing valuable workplaces."
In the end it's the people you do it for.
Opportunities for the future
"It starts with good contracting and following through," Leo adds, "but in the end it has resulted in a number of permanent jobs! I have seen these people walking around on the construction site of the David de Wied building and have seen that they really want to work. A distance to the labour market' is often the result of people ending up in a situation for which they are not responsible.
Renzo underlines: "Social Return may be a dry contract requirement, but it gives people an opportunity they wouldn't otherwise have. Once a month we discussed their efforts and the figures, so that the objectives were always secured for everyone."
Leo sees many opportunities for the future: "There are plenty of projects coming up where we can use people. The more, the better! I always want to deliver, but in the end it's the people you do it for."
Interviewer/author: Lisa Koolhoven