MWJV: A blueprint for positive impact in Cornwall

Delivery at scale, value that stays local

Cornwall Council required the expertise and capacity to deliver a diverse portfolio of capital investment while also using that investment to strengthen Cornwall’s economy and built-environment capability.

The scope was significant. The scope was significant with £650m of capital projects, including £59m of school backlog maintenance across 67 schools, £39m of new school places and education infrastructure, £133m of major transport projects, £90m of public-estate transformation and £60m of Town Deal regeneration.

The challenge, therefore, was not simply one of programme scale. MWJV needed to combine high-quality professional delivery with an approach that created opportunities for Cornish SMEs, developed local people and skills, and converted public investment into measurable economic and community benefit.

Social value embedded in delivery

MWJV brought together Ward Williams’ local knowledge and relationships with Mace’s national capability, supported by a locally embedded supply chain. Thirteen core delivery partners were integrated into planning, procurement and community engagement, providing architecture, engineering, surveying and project-management capability.

Rather than treating social value as a separate initiative, it was embedded in delivery. The approach established measurable targets for jobs, apprenticeships, training, local spend and community engagement. Delivery was tracked against the CITB Employment and Skills Plan, with an ESP Champion overseeing commitments and performance.

Activity was planned around early engagement with schools, colleges, SMEs and communities, followed by integrated delivery aligned to project milestones and regular monitoring against KPIs. The Mace Optimise Social Value Tool was used to quantify wider impacts across human, intellectual and social capital.

The supply-chain model was equally deliberate: local firms were given meaningful, long-term involvement rather than peripheral packages, helping build the experience, capability and confidence required to deliver complex programmes.

£128.1m of social and local economic value

The delivery model demonstrated how major public-sector investment could achieve two objectives simultaneously: delivering an ambitious capital programme and strengthening the place in which that investment was being made.

MWJV generated £128.1m of social and local economic value. It created 242 jobs, including 27 apprenticeships, delivered 215 careers events, supported 235 people through accredited training and development and reached 8,399 students. Local expenditure reached £42.6m, with £35.2m spent with SMEs.

Performance also significantly exceeded the employment and skills benchmarks. Against CITB Band 7’s benchmark of 15 new entrants, for example, MWJV recorded 242 new jobs, while 109 work placements were recorded against a Band 7 benchmark of 20.

Perhaps the strongest legacy, however, is the capability left behind. The programme developed a locally embedded team and stronger regional supply chain, demonstrating that access to national expertise and delivery at scale do not have to come at the expense of local economic impact.