A Morgan Sindall-backed platform that connects individual tradespeople, micro businesses and social enterprises with leading contractors has been launched.
Work Radar, as the platform is known, has been developed by Local Supply Chain, a cloud-based supply chain platform that is already used by the likes of Morgan Sindall Construction (a Work Radar founding partner).
Described as easy to use, the platform allows small businesses and individual operators to access work opportunities on specific projects in their region, while simultaneously enabling large construction firms to develop their local supply chains and improve their social value outputs. Contractors will be able to review the health and safety certifications of potential supply chain members and regularly monitor KPIs.
Work Radar’s aim is to contain the details of projects around the country being undertaken by large contractors, which will specify what services and trades are required on their schemes. Tradespeople, social enterprises and micro businesses (firms with less than ten employees and an annual turnover of less than £1.5m) will receive alerts to opportunities in their area. When an opportunity matches, they can then express an interest in delivering the work.
Work Radar is funded by subscriptions from contractors, and is free-to-use for all organisations registering interest in finding work.
Environmental benefit
Work Radar claims that the platform’s “ability to connect workers with local projects in an efficient and timely manner will enable the reduction of carbon emissions and will also improve the diversity of supply chains by creating a level playing field for all those seeking work”.
Morgan Sindall Construction projects currently listed on the platform include the £18m Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy and the £6m Kings Heath Boys Secondary School, both in Birmingham.
Other registered firms already posting their projects on Work Radar include Chesterfield-based Melfort Construction Services and Derby’s M J Robinson Structures.
Richard Ratcliffe, CEO of Local Supply Chain, highlighted the importance of social enterprises: “Through increased access to social enterprises through Work Radar, construction firms can ensure that their procurement processes are benefitting the communities in which they work – both through engaging with social enterprises that support the needs of local people, and by developing ties with local workers that will help create sustainable procurement practices in the long term.”
Gavin Jamieson, head of supply chain for Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “We are committed to increasing the diversity of our supply chain and helping communities improve their resilience in these challenging times. As a founding partner of the Work Radar scheme, we see it as a refreshing and engaging way of helping tradespeople gain work on projects local to them. Many of these tradespeople have been disadvantaged by recent events, and we are now deploying Work Radar across our projects to help them to gain employment.
“I’d like to encourage my colleagues across the built environment to join us on Work Radar. These are uncertain times for us all, and its incumbent upon us to work together to ensure not just a sustainable future for construction industry itself, but to improve outcomes across the economy and society – we believe Work Radar is an effective tool to help do just that.”
For more information, visit: https://www.localsupplychain.co.uk/work-radar
