Winvic Construction shortlisted for three prestigious National Highways Industry Awards

Winvic Construction Ltd has been shortlisted for three highly coveted National Highways Industry Awards in recognition of its exceptional achievements in delivering social value, customer-focused excellence, and a safety-first approach.

Since winning a place on the National Highways Scheme Delivery Framework (SDF) in 2021, the main contractor has successfully delivered 116 schemes across four regions in England. These projects have encompassed a range of critical works involving Concrete Repairs, Structures and Structural Services and Waterproofing and Expansion Joints on England’s motorways and trunk roads.

These nominations underscore Winvic’s dedication to delivering excellence on the SDF in alignment with National Highways key imperatives: Safety, Customer and Delivery, while setting new benchmarks in collaboration, community impact, and cultural change across the UK construction sector.

The three National Highways Industry awards Winvic is shortlisted for are:

Delivering Social Value: M62 Ouse Bridge

The Winvic Ouse Bridge project team has been recognised for its outstanding commitment to maximising social value through collaboration. By tailoring initiatives to community needs, the project has achieved remarkable results, including:

• Employment impact: 33% local employment, including 47 jobs for local residents and 31 roles for veterans.
• Skills and education: supporting two apprentices and two T-Level placement students, providing hands-on construction experience, and educational events, including local primary school visits and a highways career day.
• Community contributions: £9,700 raised for local causes and 195 volunteering hours, including revamping Hook Primary School’s playground and creating dignity bags for the homeless.
• Environmental efforts: Volunteering projects, such as river clean-ups and nature reserve restoration.

With over £2 million spent locally, 97% of which was with SMEs, and a framework designed to replicate its success on other projects, the Ouse Bridge initiative has demonstrated the transformative power of collaborative social value strategies. These efforts have been spearheaded by Social Value Manager, Emma Rhymes, whose leadership in driving regional initiatives – both within the project and in her role as Chair of the Yorkshire North East Social Value Group – earned her a Personal Impact Medal at the Highways Heroes Awards 2024.

Customer-Focused Team of the Year: Winvic’s ‘Doing It Right’ Ethos

Winvic’s customer-first approach, embedded in its “Doing It Right” (DIR) ethos and built on The Winvic Way values, has earned the company recognition as a leader in customer-focused construction delivery. Key achievements include:

• A rise in Winvic’s Customer Maturity Model score to 3.5 in just two years, reflecting measurable improvements in customer satisfaction through a strategic Customer Centric Action Plan.
• Industry recognition through multiple awards, including six CCS Leading Lights Awards, nine National Site Awards and the Social Impact Award at the CCS Gala Awards.
• Consistent Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) scores of 43/45+, highlighting Winvic’s dedication to considering customer and community needs.

At the heart of this customer-centric culture, is Winvic’s dedicated Customer and Stakeholder team, led by Heidi Salmons, Head of Marketing, Communications and Social Responsibility. Heidi drives its customer focussed strategy and chairs the Asset Community East (ACE) Customer Working Group, promoting best practice across the supply chain. Winvic’s commitment to customers is reinforced through continuous training, robust leadership endorsement, supply chain engagement, and a suite of reporting tools driving improvement across all projects and the entire workforce.

Home Safe and Well Champion of the Year: Doing It Right Putting People to Work campaign – Millie Nimmo

Winvic’s Marketing Campaigns and Content Manager, Millie Nimmo, has become a pivotal force in the company’s Doing It Right culture, spearheading the ‘Putting People to Work” campaign which  reduced the company’s Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) by 21% from April to September 2024.

The innovative “Someone’s” campaign used emotive on-site messaging and collaborative leadership engagement to emphasise the importance of health and safety. Across 11 SDF projects in the North East, North West, East and South East, strategically placed signage reminded subcontract operatives of their role in ensuring a safe working environment.

Millie has also inspired company-wide cultural shifts, organising Winvic’s first Doing It Right internal conference, mental health awareness sessions, and trade forums that promote dialogue and inspire behavioural change. As a champion of wellbeing and Mental Health First Aider, she advocated for Winvic to become a supporter of the Mates in Mind construction charity, ensuring all staff, including freelance team members, have access to discounted counselling services.

Winvic’s DIR cultural change programme outperformed the HSE’s 2024 construction industry benchmark, ranking in the top 5% in seven out of eight categories and improving in seven out of eight categories compared to 2023 results.

A testament to excellence

Rob Cook, Winvic’s Managing Director for Civils and Infrastructure, commented: “Being shortlisted for three National Highways Industry Awards is a testament to the dedication and initiative of our teams.

“From delivering transformative social value on the M62 Ouse Bridge project, to advancing our customer-first Doing It Right (DIR) ethos and fostering an exemplary DIR safety and wellbeing culture led by Millie, these nominations highlight Winvic’s commitment to driving innovation while creating meaningful impact, customer-focused excellence, and a safety-first approach.

“We are proud to be recognised for the work that truly embodies The Winvic Way values and our ethos: Doing It Right.”

The winners of the National Highways Industry Awards will be announced in March 2025, and Winvic Construction looks forward to celebrating the successes of all finalists.

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