The project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, explores the use of social procurement to promote equality in the UK construction workforce.
Shocking statistics featured on the website show that women make up just 14% of the 2 million construction workers in the UK. The website also highlights the UK's low numbers of ethnic minority construction workers.
The project team, including co-investigators from the University of the West of England and the University of Warwick, are investigating how social procurement initiatives, such as setting recruitment targets for members of under-represented groups, can increase workforce diversity.
Planned outputs include toolkits for construction procurement commissioners, developed in part through practitioner workshops. The website will also act as a digital hub to bring together the knowledge gained as part of the project.
Professor Tessa Wright said: “We’re very excited to see our new website go live, and hope that it will provide a valuable source of information for equality, diversity and inclusion professionals, procurement practitioners and academics interested in the growing field of social procurement and social value."
The website provides an insight into the collaborative approach that lies at the heart of the project, and introduces the project’s advisory board, which includes equality and procurement practitioners who will help to ensure that the project has a practical impact.
To gather data, the project team are using a combination of interviews, case studies, and a survey of procurement officers in local authorities, housing associations and higher education establishments.
To keep up to date with the Buying Social Justice project, you can visit its website, where you can sign up to its mailing list.