Social Value & Equity Solutions
Powering change to maximize social equity, community benefits and social sustainability
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Social value and social equity are a core part of who we are at Jacobs and are aligned to our values. They are foundational in our approach to sustainability, inclusion and diversity and key services delivered to clients globally. To us, social value and equity is working collaboratively to drive positive impacts and transformative outcomes – socially, environmentally and economically – by putting people and society at the heart of decision making.
We use digital and smart technology to enable data-driven solutions, which helps us identify better ways of approaching projects and programs, unlocking efficiencies and optimizing the value created for society. We work with our clients, partners and supply chains to create impactful solutions that drive a more equitable distribution of benefits for the communities in which we live and work.
At Jacobs, we're invested in creating a more equal society and an enduring legacy, we strive to leave things better than we found them.
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What is social value?
Social value is the total net benefit of a project or investment on society. This includes the confidence people gain when securing meaningful work, the mental health benefits they gain from being able to spend time in nature or in feeling connected to their community and the sense of safety and agency someone with a disability feels when using a public transport system that has been designed to meet their needs. At its core, social value concentrates on the total impact that facilitates a focus on areas which are of the greatest value to society.
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What is social equity?
Social equity is about taking tangible action to ensure the social and economic inclusion of all individuals, with a particular focus on underinvested communities and groups with specific vulnerabilities. It's also about driving opportunity for small diverse businesses to engage with the infrastructure supply chain. We provide advisory solutions to ensure that the anticipated societal benefits of infrastructure investment are distributed as fairly as possible across communities and the economy.
Social value and equity assessments are used to identify priorities, for instance in terms of asset management, resilience planning and stormwater management, and lead to strategic investment decisions at a time when maximizing community impact is critical.
Social value is made up of components covering:
- Mobility
- Community wellbeing
- Equality and equity
- Housing
- Work
- Access to vital services
- Physical and mental health
- Voice and agency
- Culture
- Environment
What we do
We work with public, non-governmental, private and nonprofit clients spanning different sectors and industries to help them realize social value and equity opportunities through their projects, programs and services. We do this by embedding social, economic and environmental benefit generation into delivery to provide positive and transformative outcomes.
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Articulate
We support clients and projects in understanding social value and equity, defining what this means to them. We establish processes and develop systems to best embed social value and equity principles – whether it’s in policy development or throughout the lifecycle of a program or project.
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Generate
We support clients and project teams in taking a strategic approach to social value and equity to help them generate and maximize positive and transformative outcomes including social, economic and environmental factors.
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Measure
We provide clients and project teams with the right tools to robustly measure the impact and understand the value which organizations and supply chains are delivering.
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Evidence and improve
We develop logical reporting mechanisms and governance structures that provide clients and projects with confidence in telling the full story of the value that they create for society.
Featured projects
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Thames Tideway Tunnel
With the project almost 90% complete in May 2023, socio-economic benefits were achieved, building the local economy and leaving a legacy beyond the program.
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The Elizabeth Line
The project is acting as a catalyst for regeneration across London and delivered more than just a railway. The improved transport links will help in transforming the areas through which it runs – driving development, attracting investment and jobs.
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Transpennine Route Upgrade
The project will achieve far more than improving railway assets — it will enhance lives in a legacy of moving more essential goods by rail, attracting more people to use the train, helping communities prosper, creating jobs for local people and applying decarbonization principles.
Simetrica-Jacobs
Social value is a fast-evolving field, and its successful delivery requires a wide range of specialisms in unique areas. Our partner, Simetrica-Jacobs, is a global leader in social value, well-being research and impact evaluation.
Working with clients to optimize and inform even the most complex decisions, Simetrica-Jacobs deploys evidenced approaches combined with innovative and bespoke solutions designed to provide assurance and withstand scrutiny. Helping to shape policies that can change lives, Simetrica-Jacobs has contributed to internationally endorsed methods set out by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and government-produced guidelines, including the U.K. Government’s HM Treasury Green Book.
Simetrica-Jacobs has an established track record of helping clients understand, measure and evidence the impact their work has in the real world. Through their research and strategic consultancy, they transform how clients measure what matters most and how they utilize these insights to improve outcomes for individuals, for communities, and for businesses and organizations.
Meet some of our social value and equity team
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Sarah Rial FICRS
Senior Associate Director, Social Value Delivery
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Toyin Ogunfolaju
Director, Social Value & Equity Americas
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Mala Alahmadi
Social Values Advisory Lead, Strategic Consulting Middle East
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Vanessa Pilla
Capability Lead, Social Value and Equity ANZ
Listen now: Building a social value culture
Michelle Levi joined The Social Value Podcast, hosted by Social Enterprise UK, to discuss the importance of building an organizational culture that supports and champions social value, Jacobs’ own ambitions for social value and the power of local teams.
From our newsroom
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ShowcaseFast-Tracking Social Value with the Transpennine Route Upgrade
The Transpennine Route Upgrade will transform journeys and communities across the North of England by creating jobs and connecting cities with a cleaner and more efficient railway and a pioneering social value program.
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NewsJacobs Advances Pioneering Technology to Reduce Battery Waste
Did you know Jacobs partners with small and diverse-owned businesses every day to deliver more connected, sustainable solutions around the world? In this article, read about our work with HaiLa Technologies Inc to reduce power consumption for a more sustainable tomorrow.
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NewsTrue Value Creation Starts with Leadership and Vision
Jacobs Global Principal of Social Value & Equity Advisory Emily King shares four essential lessons on how to drive better outcomes for people, communities and clients in the Infrastructure Intelligence magazine. Read the latest insights.
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NewsNew Report from Simetrica-Jacobs and the London School of Economics and Political Science on UK Wellbeing During COVID-19
Today Jacobs' subsidiary Simetrica-Jacobs and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) published a report looking at the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of people in the U.K. The report found "substantially worse" levels of wellbeing and psychological distress across the U.K. in April 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Levels of all measures of wellbeing are at the lowest in the U.K. since records began in 2011 and many parts of the population are over the threshold for psychiatric morbidity. The costs of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures on mental health and wellbeing were calculated to have an indicative monetary value to the U.K. of £2.25 billion ($2.8bn) per day, equivalent to £43 ($53) per adult each day1. This is the net cost as both the positive and negative effects of COVID-19 and social distancing were included in the analysis.
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NewsSimetrica-Jacobs Contributes to New Guidance on Wellbeing Analysis
Simetrica-Jacobs’ research is incorporated in the U.K. Government’s new Green Book supplementary guidance for the economic appraisal of wellbeing.
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NewsHow Edinburgh is Putting People at The Heart of its City Design
With growing demands being placed on them, cities can’t stand still: they need to change and adapt to respond to the needs of their citizens and be economically competitive. Edinburgh is joining a growing movement of cities around the world – including New York, Oslo, Copenhagen, Madrid and Cape Town – that are progressively introducing measures to transform their centers. What if we showed you how, as the city embarks on this transformation journey, Jacobs is helping Edinburgh ensure it puts people ahead of design and firmly projects its world heritage reputation into the future?
Featured articles
New Civil Engineer: Trading anxiety for action: How to create a robust social value foundation
eolas Magazine: How do you drive social value and sustainability in transport infrastructure projects?
Infrastructure Intelligence page 10 : True value creation starts with leadership and vision