Community Benefits Come Out on Top for Drumgeith Community Campus

Drumgeith Community Campus’ community benefits programme has won a prestigious award. 

Dundee City Council and Robertson Construction Tayside were named winners in the Excellence in Social Value category at the GO Awards Scotland. 

The GO Awards Scotland, supported by the Scottish Government, celebrate the achievements and successes involved in the delivery of Scottish public sector services. 

The construction of the £100 million state-of-the-art Drumgeith Community Campus delivered significant community benefits by providing jobs, training, and local projects designed to improve the lives of the school pupils, and the citizens of the local area.

The council has a well-established community benefits programme focused on outcomes such as supplier development, community engagement, and environmental sustainability. 

As part of this project, it was mandated that 75% of subcontractor spend should be within 40 miles of the campus. 

Working collaboratively with Robertson Construction Tayside resulted in over 70% of the construction project’s workforce coming from within a 40-mile radius of the site.

Throughout the build, spending was closely monitored to ensure that community benefit targets were met.

This approach led to £66.35 million (78.76%) of total spend going to sub-contractors and suppliers within 40 miles of the campus, exceeding the 75% target.

The construction project has also created 40 employment opportunities, 11 new apprenticeships, and supported 38 existing apprentices through the building programme. 

In addition, 41 work experience placements have been provided, 14 for school pupils and a further 27 through employability programmes run by Dundee and Angus College and other local providers

City Growth and Infrastructure Convener Steven Rome said: “Our partnership with Robertson Construction Tayside to deliver a comprehensive community benefits programme has had a significant impact on the local area, and I’m delighted to see this recognised with the award.

“The team worked incredibly hard to ensure that the majority of the investment in this building was retained within the local economy.

“The programme not only created and supported local jobs but also offered young people opportunities to learn about careers in digital construction, inspiring them to consider future paths in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).

“In addition, it supported a range of local causes, including providing training opportunities for women supported by Tayside Council on Alcohol, helping them to build confidence and resilience.”

Kevin Dickson, Regional Managing Director, Robertson Construction Tayside, said: “We’ve worked with Dundee City Council on many high-quality landmark projects, and community benefits are always a vitally important part of the job.

“With the Drumgeith Campus project, the social impact programme made sure that investment was kept local, opportunities were created for people across the region and community organisations were supported.

“This award reflects the strength of our relationship with Dundee City Council and the effort of our teams, partners and supply chain who helped deliver meaningful outcomes throughout the build.”