Champion of local business participation
Seymour Whyte is a Queensland-born civil contractor that has delivered major infrastructure across Australia for more than 30 years.
The projects delivered for the Department of Transport and Main Roads are located on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Far North Queensland, employing more than 1,140 Queenslanders.
Through its projects, the company helps people of social disadvantage connect to core economic activities, creating opportunities for participation, jobs and income prospects.
General Manager Northern Region, Will MacDonald, said, “It is imperative to our company to give back to the communities in which we operate in.”
Between April 2021 and May 2022, Seymour Whyte placed 1,011 supply contracts totalling $512 million with suppliers based in Queensland, including $110 million spent in regional Queensland.
Through a partnership with Brisbane firm Felix, Seymour Whyte has developed a bespoke vendor relationship management and complex sourcing software for procurement. This enables a multicriteria analysis process for supplier selection that considers essential factors besides price alone.
“Safety, environment, local participation, training and Indigenous participation – as a full-service offering – is evaluated, not just price,” Will MacDonald said.
“We also maximise local participation through local business industry briefings; our subcontractor forums to inform, engage and receive feedback; and by providing training and upskilling opportunities for subcontractors.”
Seymour Whyte strongly supports workforce diversity: 17.9 per cent of Southeast Queensland employees are female; 18 per cent of the executive leadership team is female and seven employees identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Seymour Whyte works with Dreampath, an Indigenous labour hire and workforce solutions provider, to train and upskill First Nations peoples for long-term careers.
From 2019-2021, more than 350 Aboriginal workers were engaged, equating to 9 per cent of the total workforce.
Its projects also support local communities through local spending and fundraising for social issues.
Will MacDonald said Seymour Whyte had partnered with Queensland-based charity, Hearts of Purple, to address family and domestic violence (FDV). This has included site toolbox talks on the issue and collecting recyclables in its offices and on project sites to support FDV victims and survivors.
Seymour Whyte offers ‘Try a skill day’ in partnership with Construction Skills Queensland, promoting construction careers and tackling long-term and youth unemployment. Most recently at Elanora High School as part of its Gold Coast project works.
Its Far North Queensland project is working with the Clontarf Foundation and Gordonvale High School, providing mock interviews with Year 12 students, and project community open days.
Seymour Whyte’s strong support of local business participation, local jobs, workforce diversity, construction careers and community initiatives epitomise the Buy Queensland approach.
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- Last updated:
- 15 December 2023