The B.E.S.T. initiative is a hugely important part of the commitment Acumen has to the regions and communities we live and work within. As a business that operates from a number of fixed locations, as well as undertaking a variety of short and long-term projects throughout the UK, we recognise the importance of re-investing back in to these areas, however we can.
This initiative was inspired and developed by the team at Acumen as part of our longstanding pledge to enhance the lives, economy and environments of our staff, customers and local stakeholders. B.E.S.T. was implemented as a cornerstone of Acumen’s investment framework, which encourages contribution to the sustainable development of our communities, working with them through open engagement and investing in initiatives that make a lasting, positive impact.
We believe that B.E.S.T. not only benefits the local community and the environment; it also develops and enhances new skills for our own team.
In simple terms, B.E.S.T. is our dedication to Buy, Employ, Support and Transform. Fundamental to these four principles is that we do this from the communities we work in and that it develops our multi-faceted approach to continuous re-investment, support and improvement.
B.E.S.T. is already in motion across a number of our core regions of operation and we look forward to seeing the benefits it has on the economies and communities we support, and in turn that support us too.
Buying
Employing
Supporting
Transforming
Wherever feasible Acumen is committed to buying from businesses within the local area that we are working within. Whether it’s from businesses close to our fixed locations or those close to the area of a major project, our procurement team is encouraged to buy locally where feasible and practicable to do so.
This means we are committed to the following:
- Hiring and purchasing equipment from businesses within suitable geographical boundaries
- Sourcing materials from local suppliers
- Purchasing fuel and hiring transport or vehicles from regional businesses
- Where possible our team will purchase food and undertake overnight accommodation as close as possible to the job at hand
Where feasible we will always look first to employ permanent and contracted staff locally.
As a complex organisation that needs a variety of highly professional, skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour we pride ourselves on offering opportunities to the regional workforce as and when opportunities arise.
As well as seeking to employ staff at all levels from the local workforce we also operate the Acumen Academy which sets out a defined training and development programme. You can find out more in the SUPPORTING section or by visiting the Acumen Academy here.
Aligning social value with the needs of our local communities is hugely important to Acumen and as a progressive and inclusive organisation we are dedicated to making strides in both acknowledging these needs and providing tangible support to local people and organisations.
Acumen is committed to supporting a variety of local community and charity initiatives and we ensure that this support is as varied as possible to ensure we help support the diverse nature of the local communities in which we operate.
Our commitment to supporting the communities we work in does not stop there as developing our own staff, through education and training, is very much central to our ethos. Acumen offers a dedicated programme of both internal and external training courses and opportunities. We also create local apprenticeships which benefits both us as an employer, as well as the local area through increasing the level of the local skilled workforce.
The Acumen Academy has been established to give our team a clearly defined path of support and development for their career. This comprehensive employee training and development programme aims to deliver and define a route for all employees to progress and forge an enduring career with the company.
To find out more about the Acumen Academy, click here.
Fundamental to the work Acumen engages in is the concept of protecting and transforming the physical environment we live in.
At the heart of our business is the transfer and treatment of hazardous and non-hazardous waste as well as the ongoing protection of the environment through the compliant management and disposal of domestic and industrial waste.
We are hugely committed to helping transform the lives and economy of the local communities and economic environments that we are part of. This principle of protecting and transforming the many environments we operate in is the underlying ethos behind B.E.S.T. and it’s something we are committed to continuously building upon.
