Our Community Benefits deliver for everyone

Foodbank donations, providing jobs for disadvantaged people and graduate apprenticeships are just some of the actions our suppliers have undertaken through their work with us.

Our suppliers have also volunteered in the community, picked litter, planted trees, hosted STEM (sciences, technologies, engineering and mathematics) sessions in schools and supplied goods for charity auction.

Our Annual Procurement Report April 2024 - March 2025 details the opportunities provided by contractors through our commitment to initiatives that provide economic, social and environmental benefits to local communities across Scotland.

These include community benefit clauses within contracts which have helped deliver subcontracting, training, recruitment and other opportunities.

We are also committed to community wealth building which helps support the local economies of Dundee and Glasgow, where our main offices are located, by purchasing goods and services from local businesses.

In addition, we have supported small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and supported businesses in bidding for contracts and supply chain opportunities.

The Annual Procurement Report also shows that from April 2024 - March 2025 our total procurement spend was £38,420,475 and we delivered savings of more than £7 million from our live contracts.

Natalie McCrindle, Head of Procurement and Commercial, said:

“By building strong partnerships with our suppliers and stakeholders we have been able to maximise the impact of our procurement activities and ensure the businesses we work with can make positive differences in the communities in which they operate.

“Our community benefits strategy is now an essential part of our procurement and contract process. We are also a key partner in the Dundee Community Wealth Building initiative, recognised as an organisation that can significantly influence our communities through our procurement activities.

Our suppliers are delivering on their commitments, and we are delighted with the positive impact this work is having on wider communities.”

Work undertaken by our suppliers through community benefits includes:

• Allpay Ltd, who manage the Best Start Food cards, has donated £3,000 to Turn to Us, a national charity that provide advice/support on financial insecurity and a further £3,000 to Workers Education Association to enrol 30 people into an activity engaging them in further learning.

• BaxterStorey Scotland Ltd has employed two full-time equivalent trainees from disadvantaged/disabled backgrounds for the duration of their catering contract.

• Global Connections Scotland Ltd has delivered four student placements from the University of Strathclyde, a High School careers day and a Christmas drive for Sunshine Wishes Children’s Charity.

• Specialist Office Equipment supplier Back Care Solutions Ltd delivered work to SMEs, fourteen days of vehicle/driver volunteering to food banks, a work experience opportunity and planted two trees.

• Mitie Technical Facilities Management Ltd has delivered a community litter pick, donated to the Trussell Trust Foodbank in Govanhill and took part in a fundraising charity run, raising over £500 for a children's hospital charity in Glasgow.

• Mitie Technical Facilities Management Ltd have also undertaken a ‘Project and Sustainability in Construction’ session to Primary 5 and 6 children. One temporary labourer and one Young Pre-Apprentice Trainee on the project are now permanently employed on other Glasgow-based projects. They have also employed a Trainee Quantity Surveyor on a full-time basis for the project.

• IBM UK Ltd has delivered three apprenticeship positions and supported schools/colleges through the STEM Community.

• Vodafone Ltd donated an iPhone and a set of AirPods to our corporate charity Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) for fundraising.

• Two University Graduates recruited by Vodafone in Scotland currently remain in place and its sub-contractor Content Guru have recruited approximately 6 full-time employees in Scotland since the start of the contract.