Social Value Director Emmanuelle Rodarie shares their journey to Silver and how this construction company approaches its community partnerships.
Congratulations on achieving the Silver SVQM. What motivated you to apply and what does this achievement mean to Bouygues UK?
After several years of delivering social value, we wanted an independent, strategic assessment to understand what we are currently doing well and, importantly, to identify where we can go further. The SVQM gave us a clear framework to challenge ourselves and continue improving.
Achieving Silver is a strong validation of the progress we have made, and it reinforces our commitment to delivering meaningful, measurable social value for our clients and the communities we work in.
You’re the first organisation to go through the new Bronze-Silver ‘fast-track’ process. How did you find it?
It was a very smooth and efficient process. We first discussed the certification at our Senior Management Team meeting at the end of November 2025 and quickly decided to pursue both Bronze and Silver SVQM accreditations. We achieved Bronze in February 2026, moved straight into the Silver assessment, with stakeholder engagement from mid-February to mid-March, and received our final outcome at the end of March 2026. Overall, the fast-track approach worked really well for us: it was quick, well-structured, and delivered real value without compromising on depth.
What benefits have you noticed as a result of going through SVQM accreditation?
The process has given us clear, actionable recommendations to build on. We’re now developing a structured action plan with defined owners and deadlines, helping us maintain momentum as we work towards Gold. It’s also strengthened our ability to clearly demonstrate our social value approach to prospective clients and partners, giving them added confidence in our commitment and delivery.
Let’s talk about partnerships, as the auditor recognised your approach as exemplary. Can you give a couple of examples of where partnerships are making a difference?
We’ve built strong relationships with our partners, and I’ll highlight two examples that are making a real difference for both our communities and our employees.
One is our partnership with SHP – Single Homelessness Project. We recognise that homelessness is a key social determinant of health, and through this collaboration we’ve been able to support individuals with skills development and employment opportunities. This not only helps address health inequalities in the local area, it also gives our employees the chance to engage in meaningful initiatives that have a tangible impact.
Another example is our partnership with ChapterOne. It aligns with our ‘Education & Skills’ pillar. It represents an ideal blend of social enterprise and corporate volunteering, enabling our staff to give back by supporting learners from local schools and helping to improve the literacy of primary school children.
This partnership, built on trust, is supported by external funding from the Bouygues Construction Foundation, and underpinned by a long-term commitment. It provides literacy support to children across London and the South East throughout the academic year.
Working with ChapterOne has been a joy, it has brought pleasure to both the learners and the staff involved who are volunteering their time!
What makes a good partnership for you and how do you select your partners?
A good partnership, for us, goes beyond a simple donation. It’s a collaborative relationship that helps mitigate the disruption caused by our work while supporting the long-term wellbeing of the local area. It’s also important that the partnership resonates with our team, as this encourages genuine buy-in, whether through volunteering, giving their time, or engaging with initiatives.
When selecting partners, we look for organisations that share our values, have a meaningful impact on the local communities we operate in, offer opportunities for our people to get involved, and ultimately enhance our Social Value Strategy.
How do you ensure your workforce is aware of / actively involved in your partnerships?
We ensure strong engagement by combining clear communication with active internal champions and support from our wider social value team. Each initiative is supported by sponsors or ambassadors who help drive awareness and participation across the business, while our social value team provides guidance, coordination and expertise. We reinforce this through robust communications across multiple channels, including email, intranet and internal platforms. In addition, every employee at Bouygues UK is given two days of paid volunteering each year, making it easy for them to get directly involved.
Where will your social value aspirations take you next?
We see this as just the beginning. Our next step is to build on this momentum and progress towards Gold, while embedding social value more deeply across everything we do. We’re focused on strengthening partnerships, improving how we measure and demonstrate impact, and ensuring social value is core part of how we deliver for our clients and the communities we serve.
