Why is innovation important within the construction industry?

“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” Theodore Levitt (economist and professor at Harvard Business School)

Within all successful businesses, you’ll find innovators - People who see solutions where others see problems; people who see opportunities where others see threats. Great innovators of the world don’t just see these moments, they take them and create an idea, they act on them and drive forward businesses by doing what others aren't.

Within the construction industry, we have an opportunity to be innovators. The UK construction industry has the power to drive forward the economy and help our local businesses and communities to thrive.

At Local Supply Chain, we work alongside both public and private sector clients, framework hubs, main contractors and subcontractors; helping each tier of the supply chain deliver their goals: including capturing market engagement; managing frameworks; winning tender bids; finding more suppliers; winning more work opportunities etc. One thing we have started to see more, since the start of the pandemic, is the word “innovation”. We are seeing whole sections on innovation regarding local businesses, people and communities surrounding the project in tender questions and working guidelines on public sector frameworks.

If the client wants innovation, how will your business to give it to them?

Remember, “innovation is doing new things”, your business doesn’t have to be the creator but it does have to show how it will overcome barriers such as: local engagement; interaction with social enterprises; employment of local tradespeople. Over the past six months, at Local Supply Chain, we have had our ‘innovator hats’ glued to our heads and created a revolutionary scheme Work Radar.

Work Radar has been created to boost local economies and create social value by helping social enterprises, microbusinesses and tradespeople find work on large commercial construction projects. By joining and supporting Work Radar, you can evidence your innovation to your clients.

Launched with the support of the Department of Work and Pensions and in partnership with large contractors across the UK, Work Radar was formed with the core purpose of linking the top tiers of the UK’s construction sector with local workforces across the country.

Work Radar provides a platform for clients, frameworks and main contractors to have full visibility over local engagement and receive evidence of social value in nearby areas. Made possible through LSC’s experience and expertise in the UK’s construction industry, the scheme is free-to-join for local subcontractors and tradespeople and will enhance economies and communities through access to construction work.

Work Radar enables businesses to:

• Easily source and spend more with social enterprises
• Promote and engage small and microbusinesses local to your project
• Advertise and create work opportunities for locally skilled tradespeople who are seeking employment
• Evidence and demonstrate social value
• Promote diversity and equality in supply chain

To find out more about joining the other clients and main contractors using Work Radar, to evidence innovation in their tender bids and win more work, visit us at Work Radar.