Community Benefits in Construction
We have over a decade of experience in designing and implementing community benefits and social procurement in construction. We work with governments, developers and the construction sector to deliver social value outcomes on construction projects across Canada. Our work includes Community Benefit Agreement advocacy, research, policy design and project-specific implementation and reporting.
Services include:
- Community benefits training
- Project specific orientation and training
- Toolkit design and development for CBA, CEB, EIDA and other projects
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Project forecasting, measurement and reporting
Current project areas:
- Vancouver Community Benefits Agreement Policy
- Infrastructure Canada Community Employment Benefit Initiative
- CBA Liaison/Third-Party Monitor
- Market Capacity Research
Opportunities for social value
Community Benefits in Construction
Construction, infrastructure, and development projects present an opportunity to create intentional social, human, cultural, environmental, and economic capital, otherwise known as community benefits. The practice of incorporating intentional community benefits in construction projects is increasing across Canada. Community benefits in construction come in a variety of forms, from legally binding agreements to informal commitments to deliver agreed-upon social value outcomes.
Regardless of the chosen model, the identified community outcomes or benefits generally fall into four social procurement opportunity areas: targeted employment, training and apprenticeships, inclusion of social value suppliers as subcontractors or businesses in the supply chain, and community development.
The process of implementing community benefits in construction and infrastructure projects is often undertaken via a community benefits agreement (CBA).
Learn more about CBAs
What we offer
Construction Services
Buy Social Canada has been engaged in community benefits in construction policy and practices for over a decade. We offer tailored support services and expertise to mandate, design, and implement community benefits, working in collaboration with governments, construction companies, and developers.
Work with us for support to mandate, design, or implement community benefits in your construction work. We provide an array of customizable packages that have seen success in the market. Our on-the-ground experience has been crucial to test and develop the processes that we use.
We understand how construction projects vary, and we worked with industry to develop the Guide to Social Procurement in Construction and Infrastructure Projects which has step-by-step processes for the top four construction project delivery models.
Mandate
Buy Social Canada has a wealth of experience developing social procurement and community benefit agreement (CBA) policies across the country, to create the mandate to include community benefits in construction.
Current or past Buy Social Canada projects include: City of Winnipeg and City of Peterborough policy development for social procurement in construction.
Design
Leveraging stakeholder engagement and internal strategic priorities, Buy Social Canada helps organizations define targets, set requirements and regulations, and design robust tactics that suit your organization’s needs and experience.
Current or past Buy Social Canada projects include: design of social procurement for the Ambleside Integrated Site project, and City of Vancouver CBA Implementation Framework and toolkit development.
Implement
Buy Social Canada has developed a robust implementation plan to ensure the successful implementation of CBAs and social procurement targets in construction. This package of services is available to meet the requirement for an “Independent Third Party Monitor.”
Packages can be tailored to meet specific project needs and an hourly rate is also available upon request. Please contact elizabeth@buysocialcanada.com for more details.
More information about the services available to support a community benefit agreement (CBA), Community Employment Benefits Initiative (CEB), Enhanced Inclusion and Development Agreement (EIDA), or social procurement targets on your construction project can be found at the link below.
Research
Set projects up for success with a Market Capacity Assessment to identify suppliers and workforce development organizations that can support your project to meet targets and create positive impact in community.
Current or past Buy Social Canada projects include: City of Ottawa Market Capacity Assessment.
Open-source learning
Community Benefits in Construction: Mandate, Design and Implement Guide
Construction projects influence our communities beyond the physical structures they build. They also impact local economies and labour markets, whether intended or not. If these impacts are considered with positive intention, the projects bring the opportunity to create long-lasting economic and social benefits with and for the communities in which they occur.
This free Buy Social Canada Guide builds on our team’s decade of experience and hands-on experience and leadership to support and collaborate with community advocates, policy makers and project owners who want to create community benefits in construction, infrastructure, and development projects.
It takes you through three stages of community benefits in construction: Mandate, Design and Implement.
Download the Guide
What we do
Recent and Current Projects
Our team has been engaged in community benefit agreement policy and community benefits in construction practices for over a decade. We’ve worked with a broad range of stakeholders on a wide variety of projects across the country.
Building on a decade of experience, Buy Social Canada is developing a “community benefits in construction standard.” If you are interested in supporting, collaborating on, or piloting this standard please contact elizabeth@buysocialcanada.com.
City of Vancouver
- Policy and Tools: Buy Social Canada developed the tools and implementation framework for the City of Vancouver’s Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) Policy. Some tools are publicly available in the Community Benefit Agreement compliance toolkit which supports benefit tracking and reporting for current CBA projects.
- Project Monitoring: We act as the Independent Third-Party Monitor on three active CBA Projects: New St. Paul’s Hospital, 298 Alexander, and 1040–1080 Barclay. Our role includes data collection, outcomes reporting, and facilitating collaboration among owners, contractors, subcontractors, social enterprises, workforce organizations, and local businesses. See reporting on New St. Paul’s Hospital outcomes here.
- Voluntary CBA Support: We supported the design of a voluntary CBA on the BC Housing 1st and Clark project in partnership with Chandos Construction, BC Housing, City of Vancouver, and Vancouver Coastal Health, which included project targets and metrics, key tools, community engagement sessions and CBA training.
Toronto
- CBA Advisory Services: Buy Social Canada currently co-chairs the City of Toronto’s FIFA Program Advisory Body for Community Benefits and Social Procurement and sits on the City of Toronto’s Community Benefits Advisory Group.
- CBA Consultation: Buy Social Canada consults with Metrolinx and project partners on the CBAs on 3 major transit projects in Toronto: Finch West (Mosaic), Hurontario (Mobilinx), and Eglington Crosstown to support the inclusion of social enterprise suppliers.
- Market Capacity Assessment: We are contracted by Northcrest Developers to conduct a market capacity assessment to identify current capacity, future opportunities and gaps for social value suppliers on the first district of the Downsview Redevelopment.
City of Edmonton
- Tool Design: Buy Social Canada designed tools and procedure to track social procurement outcomes in construction.
- Project Liaison: Buy Social Canada is the CBA Liaison for the Ambleside Integrated Site, an 11.7-hectare operations facility owned by the City of Edmonton. We are contracted by General Contractor Delnor Construction Ltd.
City of Ottawa
- Market Capacity Assessment: We are contracted by City of Ottawa to conduct a market capacity assessment to identify current capacity, future opportunities and gaps for social value suppliers for social procurement in construction projects to advance community wealth building priorities in Ottawa.
Peel Region
- Market Capacity Assessment: We are contracted by Peel Community Benefits Network (PCBN) to conduct a market capacity assessment to identify current capacity, future opportunities and gaps for social value suppliers to support social procurement and community benefits in construction in the region.
Infrastructure Canada Community Employment Benefits
- City of Surrey: In 2020, we supported the design and development of the Community Employment Benefits program for the Coastal Floodplain Adaptation Projects.
- British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI): We currently lead the BCSPI, helping rural and remote communities implement Community Employment Benefits. Read a case study here.
Who We’re Working With
Register as a Social Value Supplier
City of Vancouver 10% Social Procurement Target
To facilitate the 10% social procurement target for the City of Vancouver CBA Policy we are looking for social value suppliers to include in a resource list.
Social value suppliers include social enterprises and organizations that support or are owned and led by equity-seeking groups. The City of Vancouver definition of equity-seeking groups can be found here.
If you’re interested in being on this list, please fill out this form.
